by Chelsea Evans

Created on: October 05, 2010   Last Updated: October 09, 2010

   You are walking out into the arena with your pet rabbit to be judged on the past year or so of hard work that you have put into your project. Nervous as you are, you are left wondering, will my rabbit be the winner of today’s show? Knowing what the judge of your rabbit show will be looking for during the duration of your time in the ring is vastly important to the calming of your rabbit show jitters. While no two judges are exactly alike, below is a broad overview of the most important factors that a judge is looking for when you present your rabbit in a show.

The Right Kind of Rabbit
    The first thing that a judge is going to look at as you present your animal to him/her, is that you do in fact have the rabbit that you claim to be presenting. What is meant by this is that you are showing within the correct breed, age group, and sex class for your animal. Many times I have seen showman take their rabbit into the ring to find out that what they were calling a Flemish Giant is actually a Checkered Giant. It is also important to be sure on the sex and the age of your rabbit, and that you have them entered within the correct class for their classifications. Trust me, you will not be able to pull a fast one in any of these areas on a good judge.

The Correct Markings for the Breed
    The next thing that you can expect a judge to check is that your animal exhibits the correct qualifications for its breed and type. All rabbit breeds have certain qualities such as weight, length, color and markings that set them apart from one another. Make sure that you know the correct qualifications for your breed before entering the ring.

Overall Health of the Animal
    The next thing that you will see the judge do is a complete look-over of each animal to ensure that the animal is in good health. Here the judge will be checking for everything from a runny nose or eyes to a broken tail, so make sure that you are taking good care of your animal. This is also the time that the judge will be catching any dirt you left in your animal;s ears or fur, or toe nails that you forgot to clip, so make sure you have cleaned up.

The Animal that Represents the Class the Best
    The last thing that the judge will do is examine all of the animals on the table to determine which of them best exemplify all of the characteristics of that breed of rabbit. This is where the judge becomes really picky as to what they are looking for in each breed. Make sure that your animal is as close as possible to the breed specifications.

This is again a generic overview of what all rabbit judges will be looking for when conducting a rabbit show. Remember that each judge's individual tastes may differ, and no two shows will be run exactly the same. Good Luck!

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