We have now been showing rabbits for five years. We have learned many things over the years, patients, humility, sportsmanship, forgiveness, confidence, resilience, and compassion. I always say that god put a lot of personality in such a small package. We have met a lot of great people over the years who have always been more than willing to share their expertise. There is always fun and thrill of competing and winning but it's not always about winning. My kids have learned from a young age that you don't always go home with a ribbon. We make new friends at the shows we go to who have the same interest we do. We often make show day a family outing, with a tailgate picnic, a fishing trip or local sightseeing. One of the most rewarding aspects of showing rabbits is learning from the other raisers and the judges what you have done wrong and right so you can overcome your mistakes and oversights before another show date arrives. The great thing about rabbit shows is that we always find friendly competition and none of the brutally serious attitudes that prevail at dog or horse shows. Cady and Aiden love to help out new competitors and share the knowledge they have learned over the years. We still have a lot to learn. We learn new things at every show we compete in.
May 12, 2018
We've been planning to attend ARBA shows and finally after four years we showed at our first one yesterday. It was definitely an eye opener and a lot different from the county fairs that we show at. I always thought we had nice rabbits but I think we may have to up our game. First of all I learned that we are overfeeding our bunnies. They are pleasantly plump. We usually feed one cup once a day. We're going to cut back to 1/2 cup once a day. There is another show in Catherage, MO next Sunday. I'm hoping that we can get Rex and Kirby down a 1/2 pound by then. Betty was 6 pounds. According to ARBA standards for her breed she should be ideally 4 1/2 pounds. I really doubt that she will loose 1 1/2 pounds in a week but if we can get her down at least 1 pound she won't be disqualified. We'll tell you how it all goes...