Rabbit showing...HELP?

[PinkFox]

Ok, so ive shown cats, ive shown dogs but the idea of showing rabbits never crossed my mind untill yesterday...
i have Rex rabbits and yesterday got my mitts on a STUNNING black otter jr buck...
and a black broken doe with alot of potential (shes still a babbit though)

but i have noone to mentor me in the ways of rabbit shows...so what do i need to know.
theres a few ARBA shows within driving distance, the next being in march...

do i need to be an ARBA member in order to show in an arba show?
and what does "sanctioned breeds" mean.

the show in march is an open show (if im understanding correctly that means adult age groups and "all" breeds
however in the cataloug for the show it lists a number of breeds as "sanctioned" and somehting about "if you would like your breed sanctioned" i cant for the life of me figure out what exactly that means, does that mean only those breeds can be shown at this particular show, or are they just special groups?!

what do i need to take with me?
my other question is is there generally a "market room" like at conventions and many dog/cat shows where people can sell goods, excess bunnies ect?

its realy piqued my interest but i have absolutly no idea where id start...

right now the plan woudl be to just enter the otter buck and mabe the broken doe to see how they did and if i enjoy it...
its just another avenue ive been thinking about.

 

[terri9630]

Sanctioned basically means reconized breeds. Since youre familiar with dogs.... it would be like a cockapoo. Most people know that is a cross between a cocker spaniel and a poodle and people breed them on purpose but the AKC doesn't reconize it as a breed so you wont see one at Westminster.

As for the rest I don't know. there aren't any shows around here except our local fairs.

 

[bunnylovincowgirl]

You do NOT need to be an ARBA member to show.

"Sanctioned" is not the same thing as recognized breeds. Sanctioned means that the national breed club has sanctioned the show, so that club members showing there will get national breed sweepstakes points. If a show is ARBA sanctioned, ALL ARBA recognized breeds may be shown, regardless of whether or not they are sanctioned.

"Open" refers to open to all ages - youth and adult. It has nothing to do with what breeds may be shown.

People put rabbits and supplies up for sale in the showroom, but there's not a separate room for it.

This website has detailed information that you might find helpful: Showing Rabbits Step-by-Step

Have fun! And be warned - it's addictive! We're here if you have any questions.

 

[PinkFox]

thank you, im thinking about entering a couple of my rex into a semi (1 1/2 hours away) local show in march...just kinda wanna see what happens more than anything else but i know if i win anything thatll be it lol...

thanks again i was mostly concerned about the sanction and arba membership... stuff so not haivng to be a member is good..im not yet sure id want to spend the $20 a year for membership being so new to buns in general...

now heres another question...are shows "open" to the public in terms of if you dont have a rabbit in the show are you allowed to go and look around...i was thinking this might be another option for me just getting a feel, go to a show and see how it works without putting any buns in.

 

[lastfling]

Yes, shows are open to the public. I went to several shows just to look around, talk with people, watch the judging, etc., before I actually took a rabbit. Showing wasn't really as complicated as I at first thought it would be. Most trouble I had was in hearing when the breed was called for judging. The breeds weren't posted at the tables until shortly before judging began, so I had to keep a pretty close watch, and of course I set my chair and rabbits about as far as they could be from where they wound up being judged. When time came, I just picked the carrier up and carried over to the coops at the judging table. As I had several classes (jrs / srs / does/ bucks) having them all there saved a bunch of walking back and forth. The most important advice I can give is to just enjoy the moment, whether you win anything or not.

 

[terri9630]

oops. Sorry about that. I was talking to my daughter about recognised breeds and breeds in development and my brain read the question wrong. Thats what I get for typing after an hr of "why?"

 

[DKRabbitry]

Most trouble I had was in hearing when the breed was called for judging.

This was the big problem that we had. It was so noisy and confusing that it became unenjoyable for us. I hope that ARBA tries to work on that in the future. I think a lot of that has to do with who you go with too. My DH gets bored and starts poking about leaving. If I just go with my sister-in-law it is much more enjoyable and I don't mind sitting there waiting so much.

I am starting to get back into it a little bit, mostly just to get other opinions on my stock and make sure my own skills stay sharp for picking replacements. It is a very nice and useful tool to get outside opinions from folks that have experience.

Feel free to go and watch first. Sometimes we just go to shows to shop for new stock LOL I went to watch the first couple of times so I knew what to expect for when I did end up taking a rabbit.