Showing

Trying Your Hand at Showing

I do not find it very hard at all to believe that you have bought an English Lop as a pet (or perhaps not just as a pet), and have come to think highly enough of him to feel that this is the best rabbit in the world of Lops. Each and every one of us has the best English Lop. :) You think highly enough of your rabbit to show him and let the rest of the world see how great he is. That is wonderful. But, before you put that rabbit on the table, as it is called, remember that: 1. No matter what the judge says about him, good or bad, the rabbit you take off the table is the same wonderful, dependant, terrific, loving rabbit you put on the table. 2. No one's opinion of anything should change how you feel and relate to this rabbit. 3. That rabbit is there because you want him there, not because he wants to be there. He would never consider putting you on a table for exhibition so his rabbit buddies could poke and prod you into doing things that he would not like to have done to him. Well, perhaps he would, but we will never know that for sure. 4. Remember not to take the judges opinion of the way your rabbit is put together as an opinion as to his personal value to you. This is not just speaking sentimentally, but your rabbit could fit into a breeding program because of his color, a particular characteristic in his body, his temperament, bloodlines... lots of things! Also, do not, I repeat, do not take just one judges opinion and dwell on it forever. It is an opinion, just like yours and mine. Your opinion of your rabbit before you put him on the table had to be pretty high because you put him on the table in the first place. Many judges frankly do not know all the breeds. Many judges specialize in other breeds. It is natural for them to enjoy the characteristics of those other breeds. There are not many rabbits with the same characteristics as the English Lop, not just because of the long ears, but because it is a whole bunch of seemingly incompatable types all rolled up into one kind of rabbit. Now that we have that said and out of the way, I will try to explain to you what goes on when showing your English Lop.

Many shows are pre-registered through out the country now. I am fortunate that most of the shows I go to are ones that register to show my rabbits the same day as the show. It makes it very convienient for the breeders because we can pick the animals we want to take the same day as the show. Most of my comments will be based on the shows in my area, the upper mid west. We have shows in the spring and the fall. County Fairs are in the summer, but for the most part I have not participated in showing at them because of the stress that comes about by leaving my animals there in the heat and having a constant flow of people walking by and sticking fingers in their cages all day and evening. I respect my critters too much to put them through that.

Showrooms usually open at about seven o'clock in the morning on what ever day(s) the show is, ususally weekends. The closest show for me is about one and a half hours away, so I have to leave the house at about five thirty in the morning to get there when the doors open. It rarely happens. If you do not have a breed of rabbit that starts the show (this is left to the discretion of the people putting the show on and usually posted in a show bulletin which, once you have shown at their show is then mailed to you the following year), or starting breed, you do not need to have your rabbit entered until your breed is called to show. However, it is only polite and safe, to enter your rabbit as soon as you get to the show. It then affords you time to wander around and see and meet the other exhibitors who have English Lops or other breeds you may have an interest in. I will explain more about filling out the paper work later.

Many shows have a PA system for announcing which breed of rabbit is ready to be shown and they will then announce the judge who will be judging them. I caution you that even with the PA system, there are usually so many voices and people having a good time with their friends that it is difficult for one to hear your breed. If there is a question, go to the secretaries desk (the same place you entered) and ask. Sometines albiet not often, they may even be able to answer when your breed will be up. Please, though, this desk is a busy place be patient and polite. These people have been working for many long weeks getting ready to put on this show, they are tired and swamped. And the show is only the halfway mark for them. They have yet to look forward to cleaning up, and doing mountains of paper work following the show. Back to the PA system of calling your breed. Often times it is difficult to hear subtile differences in a breed name. For example, English Spot and English Lop sound suspiciously alike over many systems, and then you have to try to find the judge, ask the person writing which breed has been called (they will have the paperwork there for the called breed), and go get your rabbit if it is your breed.

In this area, although it is the judges discretion, generally, he will judge Solids first, starting with bucks, then does, then intermediate bucks then intermediate does, on to junior bucks and then junior does. The judge then picks the best in that variety. Out of the six animals he may have to chose from (not all classes will have always have a first place animal in them). I am getting ahead of myself here. The first thing the judge does is look at each animal and gets a first impression. Let's say he is judging a solid senior bucks. He will probably at this time check to make sure that all the rabbits have no disqualifications, called dq's. He will check the sex of the animals, check teeth, some check ears for mites and all are supposed to measure the length of the ears and the width. An English Lop has to have a minimum of 21 inch ears from the tip of one ear to the tip of the other. Judges are also supposed to check for something called pigeon breast. This is definately a dq, although many judges do not know to do this. This is a genetic problem that should not be passed on to future generations! Once the judge has made his decision, he will give comments on each rabbit and the writer will record as many comments as possible. Please do not talk to the writer or the judge at this time. I may interject at this point that it is not proper to talk about your rabbit to the judge at all until it is judged and off the table. Many judges welcome chit chat to make their day and yours more enjoyable. But, keep any and all opinions, history, ownership of any rabbit to yourself until ALL judging is done. You may take your rabbit up to the table, put it into a showbox, keep your rabbit in the show box until the judge moves it. Please restrain yourself from moving with your rabbit. It is a dead giveaway of ownership, which is unethical. If a rabbit is put in your rabbits place, lend a hand at helping to keep the rabbit under control. Please be careful. The rabbits are all under stress, and there are many smells in the showbox and on the table. Do not trust any animal too much, including your own. The judge will dismiss all rabbits then, except the first place rabbit. If yours is dismissed, a polite thank you is fine. Many times the judge already has his eyes elsewhere, so you may think it wise to hold thank you's until after judging. Questions for the judge can be asked then, too. Most will take the time to answer questions between breeds. Once the judge has given comments on all the rabbits in the class, he will start judging the next class, usually solid senior does keeping the first place rabbit from each class. I have already gone through the list and their order. Once the judge has judged all the classes in solids and gotten his first place winners, he picks the two best solids from the possible six he has on the table. These are called the Best of Variety and the Best Opposite Sex of Variety. Keep in mind that, like the AKC, the judge is looking for "breeding stock". Any altered or nuetered animals are not eligable to show because they cannot breed. Anyway, the judge then goes through the same proceedure with all the broken animals. Of the four he has at the end of judging, he picks Best of Breed and Best Opposite Sex of Breed. All animals are then dismissed.

Should you be fortunate enough to have a judge who recognized that your rabbit is the best there, you would be eligible to stay for Best in Show judging. There are several different ways to pick the Best in Show however, most shows pick Best four class first then Best Six Class. The order simply depends on which class is finished judging first. Since English Lops are a six class breed (since we have intermediate rabbits and the judge picks the Best of Varieties from six rabbits if all classes are filled), you would put your Best of Breed rabbit up to Six class or what ever place and time your rabbit is called. They will call the class by the class or breed, not the your rabbit personally. Winning this class qualifies you to compete for the next step which is Best in Show. By now, the show room is thinning out quite a lot. It has been a long day for everyone and most are quite willing to go home and collapse. Once Best in Show has been picked, the show is over.

I waited until the end to explain filling out paper work for a reason. It is much easier to understand the paper work when you understand how a show works. You need to fill out two papers if you have one rabbit to show. One is a Show Report Form, the other a comment card. You need one comment card for each rabbit you bring, but only one show report form for all of them. Both have basically the same information on them. They just have to be repeated. They will ask your personal information, name, address, etc. Your breed of rabbit, and variety. Variety for English Lops means simply whether it is a solid color or a color broken up with white. You then have to figure out which class to enter your rabbit. This will involve knowing which sex he/ she is, and the age/ weight of the rabbit. I say the age and weight because if you have a young, really large rabbit, it can be confusing. The best thing to do is ask for help from another breeder, but if you know of no one, go by age first. A junior is a baby that is under six months old. An intermediate rabbit is six to eight months old. This is not eight months and two days, once they have an eight month birthday, they are seniors. To add confusion to this, we have weight limits. Juniors have to be under nine pounds or they need to be shown as intermediates (or 6/8's). Intermediate does cannot be over eleven pounds or you need to bump her up to a senior class. Intermediate bucks cannot be over ten pounds, or it is senior weight. Senior does cannot be under ten pounds or she will be dq'd. Bucks need to be at least nine pounds. It is confusing, but when you break it down, it is less so. By the way, when you take your rabbit from the table, you are welcome to pick up a copy of the comments the judge has made on your rabbit. Most comment cards have two pieces to them and the comment taker works very hard to get the comments your judge has said and put them on your card.

There. You have survived your first show. Often times you will find breeders who have extra stock for sale, equipment companies that sell more than anyone needs for rabbits, fund raising food stands which usually goes to benefit the sponsoring club, and lots of people who love rabbits.

Several weeks after the show, you will receive a letter in the mail describing any points you have earned if you belong to a state club or national specialty club, and any leg papers you may have won if your rabbit took first place in his class and there were the required number of breeders and rabbits he was shown against. It takes three legs to make a grand champion rabbit and he needs to be registered. You also have to belong to the ARBA to register a rabbit and have a complete three generation pedigree.



											Trying Your Hand at Showing I do not find it very hard at all to believe that you have bought an English Lop as a pet (or perhaps not just as a pet), and have come to think highly enough of him to feel that this is the best rabbit in the world of Lops. Each and every one of us has the best English Lop. :) You think highly enough of your rabbit to show him and let the rest of the world see how great he is. That is wonderful. But, before you put that rabbit on the table, as it is called, remember that: 1. No matter what the judge says about him, good or bad, the rabbit you take off the table is the same wonderful, dependant, terrific, loving rabbit you put on the table. 2. No one's opinion of anything should change how you feel and relate to this rabbit. 3. That rabbit is there because you want him there, not because he wants to be there. He would never consider putting you on a table for exhibition so his rabbit buddies could poke and prod you into doing things that he would not like to have done to him. Well, perhaps he would, but we will never know that for sure. 4. Remember not to take the judges opinion of the way your rabbit is put together as an opinion as to his personal value to you. This is not just speaking sentimentally, but your rabbit could fit into a breeding program because of his color, a particular characteristic in his body, his temperament, bloodlines... lots of things! Also, do not, I repeat, do not take just one judges opinion and dwell on it forever. It is an opinion, just like yours and mine. Your opinion of your rabbit before you put him on the table had to be pretty high because you put him on the table in the first place. Many judges frankly do not know all the breeds. Many judges specialize in other breeds. It is natural for them to enjoy the characteristics of those other breeds. There are not many rabbits with the same characteristics as the English Lop, not just because of the long ears, but because it is a whole bunch of seemingly incompatable types all rolled up into one kind of rabbit. Now that we have that said and out of the way, I will try to explain to you what goes on when showing your English Lop. Many shows are pre-registered through out the country now. I am fortunate that most of the shows I go to are ones that register to show my rabbits the same day as the show. It makes it very convienient for the breeders because we can pick the animals we want to take the same day as the show. Most of my comments will be based on the shows in my area, the upper mid west. We have shows in the spring and the fall. County Fairs are in the summer, but for the most part I have not participated in showing at them because of the stress that comes about by leaving my animals there in the heat and having a constant flow of people walking by and sticking fingers in their cages all day and evening. I respect my critters too much to put them through that. Showrooms usually open at about seven o'clock in the morning on what ever day(s) the show is, ususally weekends. The closest show for me is about one and a half hours away, so I have to leave the house at about five thirty in the morning to get there when the doors open. It rarely happens. If you do not have a breed of rabbit that starts the show (this is left to the discretion of the people putting the show on and usually posted in a show bulletin which, once you have shown at their show is then mailed to you the following year), or starting breed, you do not need to have your rabbit entered until your breed is called to show. However, it is only polite and safe, to enter your rabbit as soon as you get to the show. It then affords you time to wander around and see and meet the other exhibitors who have English Lops or other breeds you may have an interest in. I will explain more about filling out the paper work later. Many shows have a PA system for announcing which breed of rabbit is ready to be shown and they will then announce the judge who will be judging them. I caution you that even with the PA system, there are usually so many voices and people having a good time with their friends that it is difficult for one to hear your breed. If there is a question, go to the secretaries desk (the same place you entered) and ask. Sometines albiet not often, they may even be able to answer when your breed will be up. Please, though, this desk is a busy place be patient and polite. These people have been working for many long weeks getting ready to put on this show, they are tired and swamped. And the show is only the halfway mark for them. They have yet to look forward to cleaning up, and doing mountains of paper work following the show. Back to the PA system of calling your breed. Often times it is difficult to hear subtile differences in a breed name. For example, English Spot and English Lop sound suspiciously alike over many systems, and then you have to try to find the judge, ask the person writing which breed has been called (they will have the paperwork there for the called breed), and go get your rabbit if it is your breed. In this area, although it is the judges discretion, generally, he will judge Solids first, starting with bucks, then does, then intermediate bucks then intermediate does, on to junior bucks and then junior does. The judge then picks the best in that variety. Out of the six animals he may have to chose from (not all classes will have always have a first place animal in them). I am getting ahead of myself here. The first thing the judge does is look at each animal and gets a first impression. Let's say he is judging a solid senior bucks. He will probably at this time check to make sure that all the rabbits have no disqualifications, called dq's. He will check the sex of the animals, check teeth, some check ears for mites and all are supposed to measure the length of the ears and the width. An English Lop has to have a minimum of 21 inch ears from the tip of one ear to the tip of the other. Judges are also supposed to check for something called pigeon breast. This is definately a dq, although many judges do not know to do this. This is a genetic problem that should not be passed on to future generations! Once the judge has made his decision, he will give comments on each rabbit and the writer will record as many comments as possible. Please do not talk to the writer or the judge at this time. I may interject at this point that it is not proper to talk about your rabbit to the judge at all until it is judged and off the table. Many judges welcome chit chat to make their day and yours more enjoyable. But, keep any and all opinions, history, ownership of any rabbit to yourself until ALL judging is done. You may take your rabbit up to the table, put it into a showbox, keep your rabbit in the show box until the judge moves it. Please restrain yourself from moving with your rabbit. It is a dead giveaway of ownership, which is unethical. If a rabbit is put in your rabbits place, lend a hand at helping to keep the rabbit under control. Please be careful. The rabbits are all under stress, and there are many smells in the showbox and on the table. Do not trust any animal too much, including your own. The judge will dismiss all rabbits then, except the first place rabbit. If yours is dismissed, a polite thank you is fine. Many times the judge already has his eyes elsewhere, so you may think it wise to hold thank you's until after judging. Questions for the judge can be asked then, too. Most will take the time to answer questions between breeds. Once the judge has given comments on all the rabbits in the class, he will start judging the next class, usually solid senior does keeping the first place rabbit from each class. I have already gone through the list and their order. Once the judge has judged all the classes in solids and gotten his first place winners, he picks the two best solids from the possible six he has on the table. These are called the Best of Variety and the Best Opposite Sex of Variety. Keep in mind that, like the AKC, the judge is looking for "breeding stock". Any altered or nuetered animals are not eligable to show because they cannot breed. Anyway, the judge then goes through the same proceedure with all the broken animals. Of the four he has at the end of judging, he picks Best of Breed and Best Opposite Sex of Breed. All animals are then dismissed. Should you be fortunate enough to have a judge who recognized that your rabbit is the best there, you would be eligible to stay for Best in Show judging. There are several different ways to pick the Best in Show however, most shows pick Best four class first then Best Six Class. The order simply depends on which class is finished judging first. Since English Lops are a six class breed (since we have intermediate rabbits and the judge picks the Best of Varieties from six rabbits if all classes are filled), you would put your Best of Breed rabbit up to Six class or what ever place and time your rabbit is called. They will call the class by the class or breed, not the your rabbit personally. Winning this class qualifies you to compete for the next step which is Best in Show. By now, the show room is thinning out quite a lot. It has been a long day for everyone and most are quite willing to go home and collapse. Once Best in Show has been picked, the show is over. I waited until the end to explain filling out paper work for a reason. It is much easier to understand the paper work when you understand how a show works. You need to fill out two papers if you have one rabbit to show. One is a Show Report Form, the other a comment card. You need one comment card for each rabbit you bring, but only one show report form for all of them. Both have basically the same information on them. They just have to be repeated. They will ask your personal information, name, address, etc. Your breed of rabbit, and variety. Variety for English Lops means simply whether it is a solid color or a color broken up with white. You then have to figure out which class to enter your rabbit. This will involve knowing which sex he/ she is, and the age/ weight of the rabbit. I say the age and weight because if you have a young, really large rabbit, it can be confusing. The best thing to do is ask for help from another breeder, but if you know of no one, go by age first. A junior is a baby that is under six months old. An intermediate rabbit is six to eight months old. This is not eight months and two days, once they have an eight month birthday, they are seniors. To add confusion to this, we have weight limits. Juniors have to be under nine pounds or they need to be shown as intermediates (or 6/8's). Intermediate does cannot be over eleven pounds or you need to bump her up to a senior class. Intermediate bucks cannot be over ten pounds, or it is senior weight. Senior does cannot be under ten pounds or she will be dq'd. Bucks need to be at least nine pounds. It is confusing, but when you break it down, it is less so. By the way, when you take your rabbit from the table, you are welcome to pick up a copy of the comments the judge has made on your rabbit. Most comment cards have two pieces to them and the comment taker works very hard to get the comments your judge has said and put them on your card. There. You have survived your first show. Often times you will find breeders who have extra stock for sale, equipment companies that sell more than anyone needs for rabbits, fund raising food stands which usually goes to benefit the sponsoring club, and lots of people who love rabbits. Several weeks after the show, you will receive a letter in the mail describing any points you have earned if you belong to a state club or national specialty club, and any leg papers you may have won if your rabbit took first place in his class and there were the required number of breeders and rabbits he was shown against. It takes three legs to make a grand champion rabbit and he needs to be registered. You also have to belong to the ARBA to register a rabbit and have a complete three generation pedigree.