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It is fine to be competitive
and want to go out and win and do good, even want to go out and be the best. However with showing rabbits, dogs, horses or
anything, the most important thing you must do first is go out and have FUN, and remember that every show you will not win
and that is ok. However every show you can make at least one new friend and that is the best part, and maybe that new friend
or maybe a friend you meet at a past show is going to be the one that won this time and you are going to be able to go up
and say Congrats. Also by not winning every show you will take home that energy to go home and work that much harder to make
a better bunny to do better the next time. We have been at shows that the first show we have taken Best of Breed and even
Best in Show and the second show in the same day with the same judge that gave the bunny Best in Show places him second or
lower in class. It happens and we have learned to just laugh about it, we have other breeders come up and are so mad about
it, and we have to calm them down about it now. It is just a Bunny Show......we are there to have a good time and have fun
with our friends....
CONDITIONING TO WIN: by Getitia Matheny
How often have we admired a beautiful Netherland Dwarf; healthy, full of vigor, in beautiful condition, and with a wondrous
prime line that runs from the back of the neck all the way to the tip of the tail? Today, when I stop and think about what
is required to condition a Netherland Dwarf to the optimum, I am overwhelmed by the amount of work that is necessary to achieve
this goal. Netherland Dwarf competition continues to increase every year. Best of Breed wins in challenging competition are
not easy to achieve these days. If a Dwarf is exhibited with superior body type, but is "out of condition", first
off the table instead of first in the class is the most likely award. When it comes right down to the a close decision for
Best of Breed, and the Dwarfs have the similar type, then condition is usually the deciding factor.
The ARBA defines condition as the state of a rabbit having a definite appearance of health and vigor; to be bold and bright
of eye, and to have a good coat firmly set in the pelt. It is to be firm in flesh covering; neither too fat with soft, flabby
flesh, nor too think in flesh allowing a bony effect when examined. Flesh is to be deep and even over the entire body.
Just what is required to achieve "excellent condition:? After years of trial and error (usually more error), I would
like to share the elements that I consider most important in the goal - "Conditioning to win" . The elements are:
breeding stock selection, cooping and housing, and nutrition. All are important, for if one is neglected, like a puzzle with
a missing piece, it will be impossible to have a complete picture.
Items you might need at a show:
1) Bunnies of course
2) copy of your entry
3) extra clothes in case you get sprayed
4) leak proof cary cages
5) something to cover you bunnies cages is nice to have. Sometimes those shows can be drafty and it also
just gives them a quiet area.
6) show table or a piece of carpet to get your bunnies ready for the show table on.
7) water from home and feed
8) paper towels, some breeders use baby wipes
9) pen and paper
10) pedigree's of any bunnies for sale
MOLTING ISSUES
Information on molting. Most of us will tell you what we think we remember
and
probably most of that is subject to much error. In my experience
molt is not just one thing, as you are alluding
to. The quickness of
molt, the completeness of molt, how often a rabbit molts, when it does
its first molt and
when it does each succeeding molt are all probably
subject to some variation within families, or even between
individuals.
Shaded
Dwarfs got a bad reputation for always being blotchy (and still
do in some circles) until someone realized that maybe there
was a
genetic component to it and began selecting for animals that molted
fully. I know that I went through that
10 years ago, and still am
dealing with it with my top Sable herd buck. I've had to trade a lot
of type for a
bit of a molt problem on the lower skirts. I know there
are judges that will not put such a rabbit up for breed with
a speck
of molt on them, but they will put up a rabbit with lesser type.
Doesn't seem like a good trade to me, but ....
I do try to select
from stock that does molt cleanly, and by-and-large that is the case
with 90% of my Shadeds.
Another
factor you need to consider in keeping your records is time of
year, temperature at the start and end of molt, the condition
of the
rabbit (bred, milking, overweight, underweight, etc.) There are a
number of things that probably factor
in and it may be very difficult
to know which are the important ones without a lot of record keeping.
I am planning
to begin keeping records this summer, too. I have
tended to lean toward the idea that molt is more related to age
than
temp, as I have a bunch who molt in January, when you'd think they'd
love to keep their coats!
Donelle
Good Winners and Poor losers:
Over the last few years I have noticed in our area we show in, that we have alot of poor losers.
It is very hard to see how some Adults and even the youth in our area act at shows. Yes we are all going to have those days
that we wish we would not have gotten up so early to attend a show we not only did poorly at but did not agree with the judge
and tired of seeing the same person win again.
WELL GROW UP....when my daughter was showing there was always clapping and there was always
Congrats being given. Do I see that at shows today, not very much if any. I have tried to keep in practice no matter what
kind of day we have, I will clap and give congrats to those that do well and win the breed. You do for those that you want
others to do for you.
I would like to see more breeders also talking with the newer breeders and lets give them some
help. We can give the option to get hands on with some better dwarfs than they have and lets train their hands. We all like
to win and we like to win all the time, but you know what, it makes us all work harder if we have to work for that win, and
when we go to a show and not do so well it makes us come home and look over things and see what we can do to make our next
show better. We all like the challenge.
Heads held high at the show, support those breeders that also make the long trip to the show
and grip about it on the way home away from the show.
MORE ARTICLES TO COME
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