How to talk about your rabbits in breeder/show language

[ladysown]

Okay...situation.

I know what I think is a good rabbit but I do not know how to break it down into parts. I just don't.

So if someone says why do you think this rabbit my answer tends to be... it looks like a good rabbit. I can tell if a rabbit is over large, or if it looks not quite right but can't always put a finger on it. I can generally tell (thanks to you all) if the rabbit is flat or has a ....rise I think is the terminology.

Have a gal from the states asking me about the positives and negatives of one of my rabbits. My response is .. he's small, highly energetic, great attitude, love his head, seems to me a decent rabbit. BUT she's asking thinks like.. does he have a good hind end, how would you describe his head... and I DUNNO. I just don't.

So how do I say that without sounding like an *****...because I am not an *****..but I'm really not the picky and choosie. When I look for a rabbit I look for what I consider overall a decent rabbit. I don't expect to buy a great rabbit, I expect to buy a decent rabbit for what I sell for.. I sell for decent rabbit prices - not great, or perfect rabbit prices.

This rabbit is a total energizer bunny and getting pics of him not moving takes effort.

This is the rabbit in question: breed is polish, young senior.

don't misunderstand.. I totally get the questions, because who wants to drive for 4 hours and find out the rabbit you are going for is actually a dud, or not quite what you thought he was based on the pictures you see. can you all help?

 

[SatinsRule]

Kinda hard to tell from the pictures (I know, it's hard to get a rabbit to pose AND operate a digital camera--LOL!!), but it looks like the rabbit is pretty evenly developed from the shoulders to the top of the hip. Where it lacks a little is through the hindquarters, as it's a little pinched/undercut as viewed from the back. Head and ears seem to be pretty good, too.

 

[5dognightfarm]

SatinsRule pretty well summed it up!

 

[Bill]

This past weekend we were at a show where our Granddaughter's Hollands were the first breed up for one of the judges. After all of the rabbits were up there wasn't a "writer" for the breed so I volunteered. I'd never done it but the judge was patient and recording placings and BOV and then BOB was pretty straight forward. I didn't do the open Hollands in show A but wound up doing the Youth and Open HLs for show B. It was great. It was so much easier seeing what the judge was talking about standing behind the judging table. Hopefully I was able to learn a few things about rabbits. We go to a lot of Junior (4H) livestock shows for multiple species and I love to work in the ring, lining up placings, penning animals, interacting with the judges and the kids. Rabbit shows have taking getting used to though. Most of the other shows we go to we are used to the judge getting on the microphone and talking about the animals (of course some are better on the mic than others) as opposed to rabbit shows where at times you can barely hear the appraisal of the animals from some judges.

The point in all of this is,if you get a chance at a show volunteer to write for a judge. It should help you with terms, appraisals etc.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

The point in all of this is,if you get a chance at a show volunteer to write for a judge. It should help you with terms, appraisals etc.

That is great advice- I did so at my very first show (the second one is tomorrow! ) and I learned a lot too. Tomorrow's show is a "no comment card show" so I don't know how much help will be needed, but I plan to volunteer if they ask for assistance.

 

[5dognightfarm]

The point in all of this is,if you get a chance at a show volunteer to write for a judge. It should help you with terms, appraisals etc.

That is great advice- I did so at my very first show (the second one is tomorrow! ) and I learned a lot too. Tomorrow's show is a "no comment card show" so I don't know how much help will be needed, but I plan to volunteer if they ask for assistance.

No comment cards?! Blasphemy! How does this work? I've never heard of such a thing.

 

[Frosted Rabbits]

No comment cards?! Blasphemy! How does this work? I've never heard of such a thing.

Must be one of those 'feel good' shows, where everyone gets a ribbon....

 

[5dognightfarm]

No comment cards?! Blasphemy! How does this work? I've never heard of such a thing.

Must be one of those 'feel good' shows, where everyone gets a ribbon....

I want to go to there.

 

[Random Rabbit]

Most of our shows here in NY... if You want a comment card...You do it Yourself. They don't automatically have them.
(Back in the olden days we used to.....*sigh*)

 

[Bill]

Most of our shows here in NY... if You want a comment card...You do it Yourself. They don't automatically have them.
(Back in the olden days we used to.....*sigh*)

That's true around here too. I would think that at a large cooped show comment cards would be needed but at a one day carrying case show the owners are usually standing at the show table and can hear, hopefully, what the judge says. We try to jot down what the judge thinks about our rabbits along with plcing, number in class and the judge.

 

[SatinsRule]

Most of our shows here in NY... if You want a comment card...You do it Yourself. They don't automatically have them.
(Back in the olden days we used to.....*sigh*)

That's the way it's been at better than half the shows I've been to over the past 15 months, as well. It has its good points, but the one down side I can see to not getting them is that you often miss a judge's remarks on you rabbit when you're carrying others to/from their carriers.

Not at all like the old days when nearly every show I attended used the old card from Purina. As stupid as this may sound to some of you, I miss those cards.