ARBA- American Rabbit Breeders Association A.R.B.A. - American Rabbit Breeders Association: This is the AKC of the rabbit world. Although you do not have to be a member of the ARBA to show at most shows, you will need to be a member if you plan to register your rabbits or rabbitry. The ARBA also governs the rules and regulations of "Sanctioned Shows." They also train and license rabbit and cavy(guinea pigs) "Registrars" and "Judges."
All breeds of rabbits and cavies must be approved by the ARBA. They set the standards and qualifications for each breed. The guide breeders, registrars, and judges use to pick the best rabbits and cavies is the "Standard of Perfection," which is published by the ARBA. The D.R. or Domestic Rabbit magazine comes out every other month. This as well as a Year Book is published by the ARBA. 
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Standard of Perfection - The guide for all the ARBA recognized breeds of rabbits and cavies(guinea pigs). It lists the description of each breed that can be shown at an ARBA show. It gives the type, fur, color, markings, and condition of each breed, with ideal standards and also any disqualifications of the breed. The weight limits of each breed is also listed.
This is the bible of the show rabbit world. At every show, you will see the Judges refer to their "Standard" to help them evaluate the rabbits they are placing. As a breeder of show rabbits, you will be taking this book out to your rabbitry and evaluating which rabbits to show, which rabbits to keep, which rabbits to breed to which rabbit. You are trying to breed a rabbit that is closest to the ideal standard. I believe if you are serious about breeding show animals, you will pick up the latest copy of this book.(The Standard is revised every five years.) |
Breed: If you are going to show your rabbit, the first thing you will need to know is the breed of your rabbit. There are over 50 breeds recognized by the ARBA. Go to the ARBA to see photos of the different breeds of rabbits. Just click on the picture link for the American Rabbit Breeders Association. Then go to Breed Photos.
Sex: You will need to know if your rabbit is a buck(male) or doe(female).
Class: You will need to know the age of your rabbit. You will also need to know the breed of your rabbit to know what class to show it in. Most small rabbits that have a mature weight of less than eight pounds are considered 4 CLASS. They are shown as either Junior Bucks, Junior Does, or Senior Bucks Senior Does. A Junior is under six months of age and a Senior is six months of age or older.
Most rabbits that have a mature weight of over eight pounds are shown as a 6 CLASS. The classes for this are Junior Buck, Junior Doe, Intermediate(or 6-8) Buck, Intermediate Doe, and Senior Buck and Senior Doe. Again Junior Bucks and Does are under 6 months of age. Intermediate Buck or Does are rabbits that are over 6 months and under 8 months of age. This class is sometimes called 6-8 Class. Then Senior Bucks and Does are rabbits that are over 8 months of age. This gives larger rabbits two extra months to mature and reach their senior weight. Most breeds or rabbits will allow you to show in the next age group if your animal meets that classes weight qualifications. That means you can show a Junior as an Intermediate or even a Senior if they meet the weight limits. You can not show a rabbit in lower age class than the rabbit is. That means, you can not show a Senior rabbit in the Junior or Intermediate Class.
Sometimes 6 Class breeds will also have Pre-Juniors shown. This class is for rabbits under 3 months of age. These are normally shown only at fair or local shows because of the age of the animal. Long travel is hard on very young rabbits. Also the Pre-Juniors are not eligible for Best of Breed.. But showing Pre-Juniors can be a learning experience for a new rabbit breeder or a breeder just new to that breed. By letting a judge place the young rabbits, it may help you decide who you need to keep to grow to maturity. Check the Standard to find in what classes you should show your breed. Also the Standard has the weight limits for Pre-Juniors and if they are allowed in your breed. | | Variety: After entering the breed of your rabbit, you will need to know what Variety to show it in. The Standard of Perfection lists the Varieties that may be shown by each breed.
A few breeds have only their one color, and that is all they can be shown in. This includes Californian, Lilac, Champagne D'Argent, and the Chinchilla breeds, American, Standard, and Giant. (This is not all the breeds with only one variety.)
Some breeds are shown by their color. Their color must be recognized by the ARBA for that breed. Some of the colors include Red, White, Blue, Black, Siamese Sable. Some of the breeds shown by their color are New Zealand, Satin, Dutch, Netherland Dwarf. Not all the colors are recognized in all Breeds. So you can show a Blue Satin, but not a Blue New Zealand at an ARBA show.
Some breeds only show as Solid Pattern or Broken Pattern. Broken means white and another recognized color or in some breeds, two other colors for a Tri-color. (Dutch marked or California marked rabbits are NOT considered Broken. Neither are two tone animals that do not have white.) For example all of the Lop breeds are shown as a Solid or as a Broken. Some breeds are shown as White or Colored. This includes the Angora breeds.
Then comes GROUPS. At this time, there are only a few breeds that show only by Group. This includes Jersey Woolys and Harlequins. Netherland Dwarfs show as variety, then as group. So the best Black, Blue, White, etc. are picked, then the Best Self is picked. The Best and Best Opposite Self along with the other four group Best are all that stay on the table for Best of Breed. |
