Fairs vs. Shows

[andyva]

I've got a fair pretty close, but you have to leave your rabbits there all week. I guess that getting legs is the main push for showing, but premiums are the push for putting your rabbits on display for the public. The fair premiums don't seem to be worth much in terms of gas money. I guess if you took a whole barn full of rabbits it could add up.
:bunnyhop:
I think this year we might just go watch. We only have two pair now but maybe next year. So, my main question is, what exactly do you have to do to show? Do you just bring them to the table and let the judges do all of the examining? If that is the case should you get your rabbits used to being examined, setting up an so-forth?
If you go to an ARBA sanctioned show, that also has a breed sweepstakes, it seems like you have to be a member of the respective breed club to participate in the sweepstakes. Do you have to be a member of the respective breed clubs for any other reason? How many have to be present to "make it official", and is that number for each class or just total for the breed?

I guess I can find out a lot by just going, but it seems like maybe going to a show would be a lot more enjoyable than having to leave your rabbits on display all week.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

You might check the ARBA shows listing- there is always a sanctioned show at the Fair here, which is a one or two day event, I believe. Not quite sure, because I missed the registration deadline last year- it is like a month in advance, and most shows close registration a few days to a week prior.

Thanks for the reminder- I better start looking for that show now so i don't miss out again!

 

[skysthelimit]

I did not care for the idea of leaving my buns for a week.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

I did not care for the idea of leaving my buns for a week.

Oh, no... I wouldn't do that either.

I hear people feed them all kinds of things- cotton candy, funnel cakes, popcorn... you need to be there or have some other 4H family on site keeping an eye on them.

Even without the strange foods, I wouldn't want my animals exposed to other rabbits for a week.

 

[ottersatin]

Hello andyva,
have you ever been to a 4H Show?
There is a WHOLE lot more to it then just,
plopping your rabbit into a cage and leaving it there for a week!
You have to be quite knowledgeable about your rabbit,
you are the one that shows the rabbit to the Judge.
You have to show how you do an exam/health check,
do you know how to check the body, eyes and teeth?
Leaving your Rabbit at a Youth-fair is no more a problem
than taking it for a day at an ARBA Show.
It takes a very short while if there is disease present
in a closed/crowded for YOUR rabbit to pick up any unwanted Beasties.
Lighten up, go out and have some fun and enjoy your rabbits.
You will have a GREAT time at any Youth-fair!
As always, JMPO.
Ottersatin. ldtimer:

 

[Demamma]

At a long fair you could always put up solid dividers as a extra protection for your rabbits. Some kids just drop off their rabbits and feed and water but not much else. Our 4-H group signed up to stake turns watching the rabbit barn during busy times. When watching the barn we kept a rabbit out on laps for people to pet. That kept people from messing with the rabbits. My children and I had a fun time but were exhausted. We were there I would say on most days 8 hours a day.

 

[luvabunny]

I attended a week long fair show twice - my first and last.
No way was it worth taking up a week of my time, leaving my rabbits there for a week, exposed to who knows what and more importantly whom, besides all the stress.

I was there as much as possible - well over 8 hours every day. The club had "attendants (read more than 1)" there to watch every minute while the barn was open. I seem to remember that there were more than 30 rabbits who either died or had to be culled after that show. One member lost everything she brought, which was nearly her entire herd, because someone put aspirin in all of her rabbits water cups overnight. Worst part about that was it was probably another club member in retaliation, since hers were the only ones affected.

Some other things I remember about the show was that several rabbits had "stab" wounds from pencils being jabbed at them from underneath the cages, lots and lots of diarrhea. Several rabbits went "missing" after their cages were found open and abandoned. Stolen, lost, or taken home, who knows. Generally friendly rabbits took up biting, after so many fingers were stuck thru cage wires.

Funny, I don't remember anything good about that show. I do remember the club and the fair had long conversations about following shows. I believe the rabbit show at the fair after that was only 1 day long and rabbits didn't have to stay. I know I never attended another one.

 

[Demamma]

Luvabunny after a experience like that I don't blame you for not doing long fair. The only problem here was after the auction a lot of kids quit taking care of their rabbits. One girl decided to feed all the rabbits. Mine got two m meals but no biggie.

 

[andyva]

The fair you have to leave your rabbits for a week is an hour and a half away. All of the other shows are like 3 to 4 hours away. We might go on show day just to watch and think about showing at one of the one or two day events.

No stranger to showing, just not rabbits. It has been my experience that the youth shows are really nice, when you break over to the adult side of things you can see the dark side of people. Don't know if it is like that in the rabbit world or not. I've seen situations where judge A bred breed C and judge B bred breed D so if you showed breed C under judge B and someone showed up with some of judge A's bloodlines you might as well go home. The judges assume a "you scratch my back, etc." attitude. Then there are the stair-step judges that think judging means just arranging according to size. Plus all of the downright cut-throat behavior. Am kind of hoping rabbits aren't like that, though.

 

[Kyle@theWintertime]

The fair you have to leave your rabbits for a week is an hour and a half away. All of the other shows are like 3 to 4 hours away. We might go on show day just to watch and think about showing at one of the one or two day events.

No stranger to showing, just not rabbits. It has been my experience that the youth shows are really nice, when you break over to the adult side of things you can see the dark side of people. Don't know if it is like that in the rabbit world or not. I've seen situations where judge A bred breed C and judge B bred breed D so if you showed breed C under judge B and someone showed up with some of judge A's bloodlines you might as well go home. The judges assume a "you scratch my back, etc." attitude. Then there are the stair-step judges that think judging means just arranging according to size. Plus all of the downright cut-throat behavior. Am kind of hoping rabbits aren't like that, though.

In rabbit showing, you aren't supposed to let the judge know who owns which rabbits...it happens, sometimes, but it shouldn't. Some breeds are more "cutthroat" than others...every single person I've ever met who keeps Champagnes has been AWESOME and really welcoming to a newbie like me...whereas I've had a lot of fellow Mini Rex people be atrociously rude to me. YMMV.

The rabbit shows I've been to have been a lot more chaotic than dog shows, to be fair. Instead of a list of who will be judged in what ring at what time, they wait until everyone is registered for the show, then count the entries and the breed with the most entries gets judged first, and so on til they get to the breeds that have almost no entries. So heck knows when your breed(s) are going to be called to the table! If they are running a second show concurrently, you may have to scramble to get back and forth! However I don't see some of the really dishonest things going on with rabbits that I've seen in dog or horse showing...and MOST rabbit folk are nice people.

Luvabunny, THAT IS AWFUL!! Those poor rabbits!!! I can't even imagine.

 

[SatinsRule]

I have a lot of problems with fair shows, and it's strange in that I never had the same hesitations when I was younger (and perhaps much more naïve).

I don't like the idea of leaving my stock unattended at an arena or building any distance from my home where the staff is not obligated in any way for the feeding, watering, or upkeep of them, including for any damages which may occur.

I hate the idea that fair visitors are free to feed any of a number of carnival junk foods to them, or poke at and annoy the rabbits at will.

I hate the reality that my rabbits could be exposed to someone else's rabbits and come home with any of a number of ailments which could ultimately kill not only the rabbit in question, but several more in my herd.

I've grown very leary of the whole 4-H/FFA atmosphere which the fairs are becoming today.

The paltry sums of money just aren't worth it any more.

 

[andyva]

I am guessing one could show "juniors", pocket the premium money, get a tiny bit of advertising from having your name on a cage, and then freezer camp as soon as you got home to keep from bringing the "fair crud" to the rest of your herd.

Fair crud is the illness brought on by smelling, if not ingesting fair food while listening to a carnival over loudspeakers miles from home, and watching a steady stream of people walk by. Those people with animals at home feel compelled to touch your animals and say "look he smells fluffy". When your animals get sick with whatever disease fluffy had, and then you hear that somebody who was showing with you had animals get sick, and then you suspect them of infecting your animals, just one big barrel of fun!