After The Rabbit Show
The rabbit show is over and everyone is packing up and leaving..... If this was your first show you are probably wondering what your show results mean and what you should do next. Below we've got some tips to help you close out your show day:
Judging Results
How did your rabbits do at the show? So many factors can affect your rabbit's placement at each show - rarely will your rabbit place the same at each show. Your rabbit might even place high up at one show and at the next, be the first off the table! Don't let this discourage you, it happens to all of us. Here are some common reasons for the discrepancies in placement from show to show:
- Your rabbit is competing against different rabbits at each show.
- Different judges have different opinions - although each uses the Standard of Perfection as their guide, each judge can also have a different handling and posing style which affects their opinions.
- Your rabbit's behavior - maybe he or she did not pose well or behave so the judge could see all his or her good features....
- Condition-perhaps your rabbit was slightly out of condition compared to the competition. It doesn't take much- just losing a little bit of condition can cause your rabbit to place lower!
Give your rabbits some time, at several shows - if your rabbits are consistently placing near the bottom of their classes, it may be time to look at buying better rabbits.
Showroom Cleanup/Packing Up To Leave
Don't
forget your rabbits. Now I know that sounds strange, but every once
and a while, I'll hear an announcement asking an owner to please come pick
up their rabbit at such-and-such's table.....
Check your rabbits before you leave - make sure your carriers are securely latched and your rabbits are comfortable for the length of your ride home - for a long ride you might want to replenish hay and leave some water in the cups, especially if the weather is warm. Otherwise, most breeders empty water cups to prevent splashing all over.
When you are done loading your rabbits in your vehicle - don't forget to clean up your area so the show committee doesn't have to. Dispose of and recycle your trash if needed and sweep or pick up debris and hair balls on the floor.
Next Year's Show - Keeping Track of Rabbit Shows
Most rabbit clubs hold their annual shows on about the same dates each year. Once you enter a rabbit show, you are put on their mailing list and should receive next year's show catalog automatically. Before next years' show, the club will usually print their show catalogs and bring them to other rabbit shows in your area, for exhibitors to take. Look for and take your catalog - this will save the club the postage money!
For the first few years of showing, we put all our show catalogs in a sturdy three-ring binder - this was handy for year to year reference, especially since we wrote notes about the show right on the catalog: How far the drive was, what kind of food they offered, how crowded the showroom was, and other handy tips.
We also put our Exhibitor Reports right in this same binder, making our "Show Binder" a nice organizational tool.
Back Home
After the rabbits are put away and tended to, you will have all your show stuff to haul in and put away. This is always my least favorite thing to do, especially after a long day and long drive so sometimes I'll put off cleaning carriers for a day or so. I try not to delay cleaning carriers every time though, as the longer wet bedding sits in the pans, the better chance that rust can get a foothold. I clean the carriers and cups well, then spray everything with Nolvasan disinfectant, allowing all to air dry before storing. If I've got another show coming soon, I'll immediately refill the pans with clean bedding, and put the cleaned cups back in each compartment - ready for next time!
Wondering about your show reports? Jump to our page about your rabbit show report here!
Be sure to what for signs of stress in your show rabbit, both during the show and for several days after...read more about show rabbit stress here.