Open or Youth?

A rabbit show is usually made up of two separate shows:  an Open show, and a Youth show, based on exhibitor age. 

Read below to decide which age category you should enter:

Open Show - Exhibitors Age 19 Or Over

It is easy to determine if you must show in the Open category- anyone who is 19 years old, and older, has no choice- you must enter the rabbit show in Open!  You will be showing against other open exhibitors.

Youth Show - Exhibitors Age 18 Or Under

A Youth exhibitor is age 18 or under - so if you haven't reached your 19th birthday yet, by the date of the show, you are considered a Youth exhibitor.

New ARBA rules as of 2009 - youth must be at least 5 years old to show.

Now......Youth CAN show in Open against adults.  A Youth can also enter rabbits in both Open and Youth at the same show.  Why would a Youth want to do that? 

• For Competition.  Occasionally there are not any (or many) rabbits of a certain or rare breed entered under Youth at a show, but there are several rabbits of that breed entered in Open - it makes more sense for the Youth with this breed, to compete against the Open exhibitors than to compete against no one in Youth. As an exhibitor of a rarer breed, you will learn to scan the showroom when you arrive at a show, and before you turn in your entry forms - to see who is there to show the same breed.  Perhaps you'll talk to these breeders ahead of time to see who is coming - either way, you can enter whatever age category (open or youth), under which most of that rare breed are entered.  You can enter your other rabbits/breeds under Youth at the same show if you choose! 
• The Youth exhibitor is a very young child.  Perhaps the parent wants to help the child show, or maybe the show has Open in one building and Youth in a different building, which would separate the child and parent (if the parent shows in Open).
• The Youth exhibitor just wants to compete in Open instead in in Youth.  Some kids just start out showing in Open and just stay in Open.  Perhaps a mentor shows with with them or they just enjoy the stiffer competition.

Read more about Youth and Open exhibitor rules on our pages Choosing Your Exhibitor Name and How To Enter A Rabbit Show!

We also have many more articles on how to show rabbits- look to your left for links to each article.