Rabbit Show Lingo

When you are new to rabbit showing, a lot of the terms you hear will be confusing to you.  Here I'll list some of the more common terms to help you get started:

ARBA:  the American Rabbit Breeders Association.  The parent club that oversees breed development and improvement, rabbit shows, and chartered rabbit clubs throughout North American and in many parts of the world.

Carrier:  small wire cages with attached drop pans used to transport and sometimes house rabbits in while at a rabbit show.

Chocolate: a sweet, tasty treat required to be shared among exhibitors at all rabbit shows.  Some, myself included, especially enjoy dark chocolate.  The chocolate/peanut clusters that Christy Reilly makes and shares, are especially heavenly.  Caution is recommended as overindulgence surely can lead to greed, digestive and dental issues, and the increased inability to wear the same size clothing from show to show.

Cooped Show:  a show where all the rabbit entries stay in show-provided coops during the show.  Usually, 'runners' (show personnel or volunteers) handle the rabbits during judging, instead of the rabbit owners.  Most cooped shows are also pre-entry shows - so the show committee can order and set up a predetermined number of coops to accommodate all the rabbit entries.

Coops:  1) a name for the individual boxes or cages on the judging table or behind the judging table  2) individual cages a rabbits stays in while at a fair or a 'cooped show' - similar to those you would see at a county fair.

Day-of-Entry Show:  a rabbit show that exhibitors enter on the day of the show, right at the show.

Disqualification or Disqualified: a defect or deformity that makes a rabbit ineligible for competition and/or registration.

Fault: a defect, blemish or cosmetic problem which detracts from the appearance of the rabbit.

4-Class: breeds that are shown under 4 age classes at a rabbit show - senior bucks, senior does, junior bucks, and junior does.

Grand Champion Rabbit:  a registered rabbit that has won three legs at ARBA shows and whose owner has paid the $4 fee, applied for and received a Grand Champion Certificate and number from ARBA.

Grooming Table:  a portable table used for grooming rabbits at a rabbit show.  Usually wooden with removable folding legs and a carpeted top.

Intermediate: a rabbit that is at least 6 months old and under 8 months old in breeds that have 6 classes.

Junior: a rabbit less than 6 months old.

Open Exhibitor:  exhibitors who are age 19 and over.  Youth-aged exhibitors can show in Open if they choose.

Pedigreed Rabbit:  a rabbit that has a pedigree, which is commonly a three or four generation written record of the animal's ancestry.

Pre-Entry Show:  a rabbit show that exhibitors enter ahead of time-days or weeks before the actual show date.  Common in the southern states and large shows such as conventions or national breed shows.  Often, cooped shows are also pre-entry shows so the show committee can set up the expected amount of rabbit coops needed for all entries.

Registered Rabbit:  an adult pedigreed rabbit examined by an ARBA registrar and found to be within the breed standard for its given breed. A small fee is charged the owner, a registration number is issued and the rabbit is tattooed by the registrar in the right ear.

Registrar:  a person who is licensed by ARBA to inspect rabbits and register them.  Registrars usually have a separate table at local rabbit shows to make their services available to those at the show.

Remark Card: carbonless forms used at the judging table to record placement of each rabbit entered.  See below for terms found on the remark card.  Some shows do not use remark cards but rather record class placements on a 'control sheet'.

Senior: generally, a rabbit 6 months old or older.  In showing, a rabbit 6 months old or older in breeds that have 4 classes, and a rabbit 8 months old or over in breeds having 6 classes.

Show Entry Form: the form each exhibitor fills out and turns in to enter the rabbit show- lists all the rabbits one exhibitor is entering in the show.  Read more about entering a rabbit show here.

Show Report: after a rabbit show, the secretary makes several different show reports which list the results of the rabbit show by; exhibitor, breed, open and youth.  

Show Room:  generally, the entire area or building in which the rabbit show is held or where the rabbits are being judged.

Show Table or Judging Table:  long, carpeted tables used by the judge to inspect and place rabbits at a show - usually the table has either boxes or small cages along the outer length of the table, in which rabbits from the class await their turn to be inspected by the judge.

6-Class:  breeds that are shown under 6 age classes at a rabbit show - senior bucks, senior does, intermediate bucks, intermediate does, junior bucks, and junior does.  These are usually the larger breed rabbits, with adults exceeding 9 lbs.

Standard of Perfection - published by ARBA, lists all the recognized rabbit and cavy breeds and their ideal conformation, show classes and more

Tattoo:  a permanent ink tattoo in the ear of a rabbit, used for identification.  Exhibitors are required to have each rabbit permanently and legibly tattooed in the LEFT ear prior to the class/show.  Registrars tattoo a registration number or insignia in the right ear of the rabbit.

Writer:  the person who sits near the judging table and records the placement of each rabbit in each class - the one who fills out the remark cards or control sheet.

Youth Exhibitor:  an exhibitor who is between 5 and 18 years old.

Terms From Your Remark Card - Commonly Called "Specials"

• BOB: Best of Breed - the top honor of a breed! The rabbit that best represents its breed at that show.
• BOS: Best Opposite Sex of Breed - the second top honor of a breed, the best rabbit that is opposite the sex of the top winner.
• BOG: Best of Group - the best rabbit of a group of colors/varieties.  Used when show classes are 'groups of colors or varieties' rather than individual varieties.
• BOSG: Best Opposite Sex of Group - the rabbit considered the best of the sex opposite the group winner.
• BOV: Best of Variety- the best rabbit of a particular variety.  Usually used when show classes are individual colors or varieties.
• BOSV: Best Opposite Sex of Variety - the best rabbit of the variety of the opposite sex of the winner of that variety. 
• Note: Oftentimes, the group and variety terms are interchangeable.

There are many more terms that you will hear and learn - if you'd like a complete list of terms, they are in The Standard of Perfection.  Click The Standard of Perfection, to jump to our web page that has more info about the ARBA publication.