How the Rabbit Show Exhibitor Turns Into a New Rabbit Breeder

A distinct pattern emerges when one enters the rabbit show world and begins competition.  Below seems to be a common pathway that many new exhibitors follow:

1. New exhibitor buys some awesome starter stock from established breeders.

2. New exhibitor attends first show and does really well with their starter stock-the rabbit show fever has begun!

3. New exhibitor continues showing and does pretty good with their starter stock, even beating out some established breeders at the showtables!  At about the same time, he or she begins breeding their own stock.

4. About this time, the new breeder is on top of the world and begins to think this rabbit showing stuff is really easy!

5. New breeder begins showing stock they have bred in their rabbitry and doesn't do all that well on the show table.

6. As more time passes and the new breeder continues showing their home-bred stock, a bit of frustration sets in as this person drops in the 'breed sweeps points' and continues to have marginal success on the show table.

7. At this point, the new breeder seems to take one of these paths:

• he or she drops out of breeding and showing

• he or she continues buying top-notch stock from other breeders to show, as their own breeding progress flounders and becomes 'second fiddle'

• he or she switches rabbit breeds

• he or she realizes this it is not an easy road to developing your own line, and takes the time to learn how to cull, choose successful breeding combinations, and choose additional foundation stock that will improve their line.

This is not always how it pans out for new exhibitors, but looking back, we followed this path ourselves - it just seems a natural progression, and as we continue in our hobby we clearly recognize many other new exhibitors who also follow this same path!

Of course, there are some exhibitors who decide not to focus on breeding their own line and therefore they continue to buy stock from others to exhibit - instead focusing on proper rabbit husbandry and management to keep their show string healthy and in top show condition (which in itself is a challenge!)

But for the exhibitor who wishes to develop their own line of quality rabbits- the realization hits that breeding together those rabbits one has been winning with doesn't automatically guarantee a winning herd of one's own! 

Developing a successful line of your own is not an overnight story - once the newer breeder understands and accepts this, the real work can begin, unhindered by the glare of 'points' and 'winning'. 

The new breeder needs to take a good look at each rabbit and try to match up rabbits with traits that will compliment each other so they produce offspring with the desired results - sometimes this means adding new stock, sometimes this means many test breedings to determine what traits each rabbit passes on or what traits will combine well with those of another rabbit. 

Oftentimes, advice from experienced breeders will be most helpful - especially from long time breeders raising the same breed as the new exhibitor. 

Less importance seems to be placed on winning, because they are hard at work developing and experimenting with their line. Sometimes entire litters are a breeding failure and even a few serious faults might pop up from select crosses-prompting the new breeder to 'start over' with different rabbits.  It can be a long, slow process to learn for some people-persistence will pay off!

Now, even simple improvements seen with each successive litter are welcoming and indicate a forward movement towards your goals!  The new breeder slowly begins to recognize the qualities that are important in their breed and begins to identify them in their own young rabbits.

Time passes by while developing and breeding and the breeder slowly emerges from that 'new breeder' status-and although they are not yet a 'seasoned breeder', they have really come a long way.  The breeder continues to work on and improve their line, continues to show and gauge their improvements.  All the while they are making rabbit people friends, networking contacts and learning more and more about their breed.

Suddenly it occurs to the breeder that rabbit showing is great fun and is something to really look forward to...and a lot of this comes from the camaraderie developed over the past few years of breeding and showing!  The breeder now has rabbit show buddies and looks forward to getting together at each show.  Getting ready for a rabbit show is no longer a frantic routine...you are an 'old hat' at it now! 

Competition has become mostly a friendly affair with the breeder congratulating fellow breeders on their wins and visa-versa.  Some of your rabbits are even competitive on the show table now so showing is exciting!  You now have others to share your successes and failures with.....you learn from, and help each other. You might even find yourself offering advice to others!

Now there doesn't seem as much importance placed on the judge's comments about your rabbits (well ....that is until a judge mentions how nice one of your rabbits is  LOL). 

Remember when a judge's comments about your rabbits could just about reduce you to tears and make you want to throw in the towel?  No more...you have a clear idea of which direction your line is taking and you have faith in both your rabbits and your goals!  You've learned how to interpret showing and judges' comments and use them to move forward.  You already know what faults each of your rabbits has...but you also realize that a particular faulted rabbit is just a stepping-stone to the next level in your breeding program so any failures you encounter on the show tables don't discourage you as easily as they had in the past. 

An of course, your wins now are so special because you've worked really hard to get them!  Nothing is sweeter than winning Best of Breed or a large class with one of your home-bred rabbits!

If you are a new breeder reading this and recognize yourself as being in one of the stages we mention above - don't give up, especially if you find yourself frustrated and ready to quit!  Please ask for help if it is not readily offered to you - your perseverance will pay off.

If you are a seasoned breeder reading this - please take this opportunity to help a new breeder along at the next show you attend - take the time to talk to them, ask about their rabbits, make them feel welcome, and give them a reason to continue!  Remember what it was like starting out?

See you at the next show! 

Cathy