Question for people who show rabbits?

Question

I need all the information you have on showing rabbits.

What should I bring?
What are entry forms and remark cards, where do I get them?
How do I know if a registrar is there?

Things like that
most detailed answer gets best answer.

Answer 1

Things you'll need:

Carrying cages to haul your rabbits to the show.

A show stand to pose and brush your rabbit out on.

A small carpet pad to brush your rabbit out on.

A bowl, bottle, or rag to slightly wet your hands with. Use the slightly wet hands to brush out the loose fur on your rabbit.

A bottle of white vinegar and some rags to help remove any urine stains the rabbit might get.

A show coat (lab coat) if you want to look real professional (not necessarily needed). The lab coat can be sown on to advertise your rabbitry. It also helps prevent your chest or arms from getting scratched. Some use aprons to prevent their body from getting scratched. Some use cut out socks on their arms to keep their arms from getting scratched.

A baby scale at home sometimes helps. Good idea to check the weight of the rabbit and look for disqualifications before you head to the show.

A pen for filling out the entry form and remark cards.

For extended shows, water bottles and feed bowls may be needed along with pellets and water.

For extended shows that have cages with solid floors, a wire false bottom can help keep your rabbit from getting stained.

An ARBA Book of Standards is always good to have on you.

If you are going to sell any rabbits at the show it is often good to have the pedigrees with you.

A small cart to hall the rabbits into the show building and around the show building can come in handy.



As for the entry form and the remark cards here's a little info about them:

Both forms you should be able to get at the show except for the shows where you have to pre-enter. Most small shows you don't have to pre-enter. The larger shows you have to call or mail in your entries.

On the entry form you normally list all of the rabbits you are taking to the show. It normally has you write your name and address along with the ear number, breed, variety, and class of all the rabbits. Some shows have you place all of your rabbits on one entry form. Others have you use a separate entry form for each breed. It mainly depends on the show.

For each rabbit you also have to fill out a remark card. On the remark card you fill out your name and address along with the breed, variety, and class for the rabbit. These get taken to the judging table. A person at the end of the table will fill out the rest of the card showing the placing of the rabbit along with any remarks about the rabbit that the judge makes. At some shows you turn the remark cards in at the check in table with the entry form when you pay to enter your rabbits. At others you have to carry the remark cards up to the judging table yourself when you are close to the time for bringing up your rabbit to be judged. You can pick up the remark card after your rabbit is done being judged. They may retain your remark card if you win Best of Breed or Best 4 Class or Best 6 Class because the rabbit has to come back up to the table again to compete later in the show for a higher award.

For pre-entry shows, you can buy remark cards and entry forms off of rabbit supply companies or the ARBA (www.arba.net). For some rabbit shows you get a reduced rate if you pre-enter. Large rabbit shows often make you pre-enter by a certain deadline and they sometimes don't let you enter on the day of the show. You can go to the ARBA website and look up local shows in your area. Normally the show secretary's or show superintendant's address will be listed and you can contact the show secretary for information about the show.

Each show may have slightly different rules so make sure you read the show bulletin well.

If a complaint is to be made it has to be made the day of the show to the show superintendant. It is normally not good policy to complain about a judge unless the judge did something drastically wrong.

It is good edicate at a show to not ask how many rabbits the person has left at the table or where their rabbits are at. Some breeders are afraid of being biased against if the judge knows that or hears that.

It's also good edicate not to point out the flaws of other rabbits or exclaim that a rabbit is good or bad while the judge is judging the rabbits. The owner of that rabbit could get mad and some might look at that as trying to influence the judge.

Finally, don't be upset if your rabbit does bad. Often vary good rabbits can do badly at a show because they are slightly younger and not as big or because their fur isn't in quite as good of condition or because it failed to pose good once or because the judge lost where it was in a large group or because the competition was very fierce at that one show. Learn how to pick out a good rabbit yourself. Ask the judge questions afterward to show you if you need help. Many times I've had a rabbit place bad then as little as a day later or even the same day it wins. I had one place about 26th in a class of 40 then the next day at a show of about 5,000 rabbits it won Best 4 Class and almost won the entire show. I had another place in the mid 20's one day and the next day it won the entire show. So if you like a rabbit, keep it no matter what the judge says. If three different judges though make the same comment, then you might want to start re-evaluating your opinion about the rabbit and have them show you why they don't like it.