|
Once you find out your
breed is going to be judged soon - make sure you are ready! In order
to keep the show moving along smoothly, exhibitors must get their rabbits
up to the show tables on time! If you know your class will be called
soon, take your rabbit out and check him over - sometimes rabbits need a
little extra grooming, and certainly a quick look-over to make sure
everything is in order.
Judging Order of each Class
For most breeds, judging
order goes like this:
-
Senior bucks
-
Senior does
-
Intermediate bucks (if your
breed has this class)
-
Intermediate does (if your
breed has this class)
-
Junior bucks
-
Junior does.
Each variety or group
is shown in this order, beginning with the first variety or group for the
breed - so for instance, Holland Lops are not shown by color
varieties (such as black, tort, etc), they are shown by either Solid or Broken
groups. .jpg)
The first Holland Lop class will be- solid senior bucks, then solid senior
does, then solid junior bucks (Holland Lops do not have an intermediate
class), then lastly, solid junior does. After all the solid Holland
Lops are judged, this pattern then repeats itself for the broken group.
If you have a breed that is
shown by each separate color (variety), the judging order will be listed
in the Standard of Perfection. Usually color varieties are shown in
alphabetical order, such as; first black, then blue, then
castor...etc.
Always check your Standard of
Perfection for the correct judging order-some breeds are not shown in the
orders I've listed above!
Taking Your Rabbit To The
Show Table
Soon before your class is
called, take your rabbit up to the judging table. When your
class is called, put your rabbit into an open box or cage at the table. If
boxes are used, look into it first to make sure it is dry (other rabbits
may have urinated in it!) Feel free to find wood shavings to put
into wet boxes (buckets of shavings are usually located under judging
tables).
Don't put your rabbit up until
it is time for your actual class to be judged. Occasionally though,
the judge or writer may instruct you to put your rabbit up on the table
even before the current class is finished - this will happen if the show
is running behind or if the class before yours only has a few entries.
Also, exhibitors are not
allowed to go behind the show table (where the judge is) so you have
to lift your rabbit up and over from the exhibitor's side, to get him into
a box.
Once your rabbit is in it's
box, cage or coop, watch it to make sure it doesn't bother neighboring bunnies
or try to jump out. Don't make the mistake of getting lost
gossiping with your neighbor and ignoring the rabbits in the boxes!
If you find yourself having to
show two or more breeds at the exact same time - you have a
challenge ahead of you! If possible, find another person to help get
your rabbits up to the table and return them to their carriers when they
are done in their class. If you can't find help, let each 'writer'
know of your dilemma and that you will be doing the best you can to get
your rabbits up to each table!
Most shows require youth to
show youth rabbits - which means parents cannot show rabbits in a youth
class! Also, some shows require a youth exhibitor to carry
youth rabbits to the show table. Read through your show
catalog to see if this youth rule applies to the show you are at- and if
so, youth will need to find another youth exhibitor to help if needed, not
an adult!
Basic Etiquette While Your
Rabbit is Being Judged:
-
The judge should not know
who owns the rabbits he or she is judging: exhibitors should not point
out which rabbit is theirs to the judge, and exhibitors should not make
comments about their rabbit that the judge can hear. New exhibitors
sometimes make the mistake of proudly announcing to the judge a recent win
their rabbit had or how well they've been doing at the show tables!
-
If your youth is showing,
please stand back from the youth show table so that all youth
competing can have a spot close to the judging! Oftentimes we've
observed parents hoarding the few spaces up at the youth tables, 'budging'
out kids who are actually showing! I know you want to hear how your
child's rabbit does - but you must allow for all the youth to have
their place nearest the table!
-
Congratulate the winners
after judging is over - this is common good sportsmanship that should
always be practiced and you should encourage your youth exhibitors to do
the same.
-
Keep your opinions to
yourself. Not everyone will agree with what the judge says - but
you should not blurt out your disagreement with the judge's comments or
placement of your rabbit. If you have questions or want
clarification, you may politely ask the judge after the class or
breed is judged and most judges will take a few moments to explain
their comments to you.
|
Rabbit Judging Begins!
Soon the judge will begin
his/her initial inspection of all the rabbits in the class. Each
rabbit will be taken out, inspected for any disqualifications, and may be
moved to different boxes/coops. Stay put and watch whatever bunny is
placed into the coop nearest you.
Usually the judge will do a second,
more thorough inspection, which includes posing, to help him or her decide
where to place each rabbit.
 If
your youth is exhibiting, remind him or her to make sure they do their
part to watch whatever rabbit is placed in the box/cage in front of where
they are standing - rabbits can be unpredictable on the table - some
may try to fight with a neighbor, jump out of their box, or run down the
table - these antics may cause injury to a rabbit or at the very least, be
distracting to the judge. This goes for any open exhibitors
too....please watch the rabbits on the table!
The judge will begin placing
rabbits, usually starting out with the last place rabbit and work upwards to the
winner. You should remain quiet so you and others can hear the
judges' comments. The 'writer' also needs to
hear the judge's comments so he or she can fill out the
remark cards
accurately.
Once your rabbit is judged, you are finished and should immediately take
your rabbit back to it's carrier. Don't leave your rabbit up at the
show table!
After All The Breed Classes
Are Judged-Choosing the Breed Winners
Now...if your rabbit won it's
class, he or she will stay at the show table; the judge will
usually put your winning rabbit in a larger coop behind the judging area,
to await comparison with the other class winners.
After the judge finishes an
entire variety or group, he or she will usually compare all the class winners from that
variety or group and choose the variety or group winners (Best of Variety -BOV, Best
Opposite Sex of Variety- BOSV or Best of Group-BOG, or Best Opposite Sex
of Group-BOSG). These winners are put back into the
coops behind the judge, and await further comparison with the winners from
other variety classes of that breed.
After all the rabbits in that
breed are finished and all the variety winners chosen, the judge begins
his selection of the overall breed winners: Best Of Breed (BOB) and Best
Opposite Sex of Breed (BOSB).
 Be
sure to congratulate the winner! Good sportsmanship should always be
encouraged at rabbit shows and adults, especially, should always
set a good example for youth exhibitors.
If you entered your rabbit in
a breed fur class, your rabbit will be judged for it's fur,
following the breed class.
This is not always how each
breed is judged; sometimes the judge chooses a different order when
choosing variety or group winners. Some breeds are shown by color
classes or groups and may also win awards for each color/group.
Best In Show Judging
If you have the good fortune
to win Best of Breed (BOB), your rabbit will be given back to you
after your breed is judged, but stick around-don't go home yet because all rabbits
who've won Best of Breed can compete against each other near the
end of the show day, for Best 4-class (rabbit breeds who only have
4 show classes; junior and senior classes for both bucks and does), Best 6-class
(rabbit breeds who have six show classes, junior, intermediate and
senior classes for both bucks and does).
Instead of judging Best
4-class or Best 6-class, some shows will group together certain breeds to
compete against each other for top honors; this often gives a more even
distribution of rabbit breeds competing against each other. Examples
being - 'group A' might be all the dwarf or smaller breeds attending the
show, 'group B' might be all the larger breeds attending the show.
At the very end, all the
winners from the Best 4-class and Best 6-class (or winners from each group
as described in the above paragraph) compete against each other for the
top show honor: Best In Show (BIS). The judges will choose
from these winners, the rabbit that best represents their breed -
and that rabbit will win Best in Show. Reserve in Show is usually
picked if there are more than two rabbits competing for Best In Show. Best of Show will be chosen for
Youth and Best of Show will be chosen for Open - you will not usually
compete against each other.
Don't Forget Your Rabbit's
Remark Cards!
After each of your rabbits
are judged, be sure to collect each remark card copy from the
writer's table. Check them over for accuracy-sometimes writers can
get confused and mark the wrong placements down - especially if it is
noisy and difficult to hear the judge. If you notice a mistake in
the placement of one of your rabbits - be sure to address it right there
at the writer's table and make sure the writer corrects the copy that is
kept to generate show reports!
Ribbons, Trophies and other
Rabbit Show Awards
When you are finished showing for the day, you can
take all your remark cards up to the show entry table and collect any
ribbons or awards you've won. Generally, most clubs do not start
handing out ribbons or awards until around 11:00 am or so, if you've finished
showing earlier than that, you may have to wait around to collect your
awards - most clubs will not mail them to you.
The person handing out awards
will look at each of your remark cards then hand you any ribbons/awards
you've earned. Most shows issue ribbons for up to third place in a
class, plus larger ribbons or rosettes for variety/group wins and some
even hand out trophies for Best of Breed/Best Opposite Sex of Breed wins.
You may have to sign a paper to receive a rosette or other larger award,
such as a trophy - this is to prevent the same award from being handed out
twice!
If you show a rarer or less
popular breed, and win BOB or BOS, the club may not provide a rosette or
trophy for you - generally, if there are less than ten rabbits shown in a
breed, you will not get a larger award such as a rosette or trophy.
This is usually due to cost - the larger awards are costly for the club to
purchase - and low numbers of entries for a breed do not fund such an
award. You should still however, be able to collect regular ribbons
for your wins, and your points earned will reflect your larger wins.
So now you are finished
showing......read the last chapter to help you summarize your show
experience......
|
