Mark Your Calendars January 4 & 5, 2013, Waxahachie, Texas

Blacklands Prairie RBA will host a show on January 4 & 5, 2013, in Waxahachie, Texas.

Contact Julie Carter at Julescarter89@yahoo.com for information or click on the Flyer.

Show information taken from Bunnyrabbit.com show schedule


 

About breeding rabbits...

I have recently been asked by some people how I determine which bucks and does to breed and how do I go about it. I decided to write a quick post to my blog and discuss it a bit.


When I choose to breed rabbits I look at the overall picture. I ask myself questions then evaluate the rabbits. For example: 1) What qualities does a Doe and Buck have? 2) What am I looking to improve? 3) Are these rabbits compatible 4) What specific body type do I want and will this cross give me at least one good rabbit? 5) Do I have space for the litter? 6) How soon will I have to cull and do I have time to do it? 7) How busy is my work and family life schedule at this time.

These are just some of the questions I ask myself when breeding my rabbits. My goal is to breed a show rabbit to the ARBA Standard Of Perfection, and in order to achieve that, I have to thoroughly evaluate my rabbits, my time, and what I want, overall.

Due to a major past event in our family I had to re-build our rabbitry from scratch. Therefore, I have bred slowly, but culling heavily. Many people shy from culling, but I realized that this is imperative if I seek a great show rabbit. I cannot see it in my heart to sell a substandard rabbit. Some people love to sell “pets”, thus breed indiscriminately for novelty colors, and to sell. Others sell “pets” because they cannot find it in themselves to cull a rabbit, which is understandable, but the problem there lies, they end up selling their substandard rabbits to people who end up breeding them, thus promulgating substandard rabbits.

For me, I learned from many great breeders that breeding rabbits is a private matter. Breeding requires concentration; focus, attention and overall, a goal.

If one chooses to breed without showing, one cannot fully evaluate what they have by an “impartial person”, thus, never fully know the potential, or lack of it in their efforts to breed a Best In Show rabbit.

It has taken my family 3 long years to re-build and I finally believe I have some good high quality rabbits. However, the road to it has been tough by having to make serious decisions. However, the joy of showing a rabbit in the hopes to getting that ever elusive Best In Show, is worth all the hard work we have gone through.

To summarize, I just breed selectively, carefully, and only the best I have. My rabbit breeding is reserved to a few as I do not believe breeding extensively as that is not the road to acquire the Best In Show rabbit that every true breeder covets dearly.

My comments on showing rabbits

I was talking to a new person about showing rabbits. She asked me if I “granded” (3 Grand Champion Legs) my rabbits and then retired them, as she was told that was the “standard practice” by some breeders. My response to her was that I show my rabbits until they cannot show no more, unless they do not do well at shows, at which time they are retired, but not bred. Mostly, they either become a fiber animal in my rabbitry if the wool is great, or simply get culled. If they are chosen to be bred due to excellent qualities and they have out grown their showing stage, then the breeding is carefully planned.

My experience and believe is that a true show person is not one that just takes rabbits to a show to get a “leg”. The way I see it is if a breeder focuses on “granding” a rabbit, meaning acquiring 3 legs, and just retires them afterwards, is not truly looking at the full picture. I believe that a true show person breeds a rabbit to the ARBA Standard of Perfection. That being said, one breeds a rabbit striving to get a Best In Show (BIS) rabbit, not just a Best Of Breed (BOB). Granted, one needs BOB to compete in BIS, but just simply being satisfied with a Grand Champion Certificate (3 legs), is not truly reflecting the importance of showing to the ARBA Standard Of Perfection.

Ever since I began showing rabbits, I researched the breed and worked on my goals. My belief and philosophy is to show a high quality rabbit as much as it can be shown, regardless if it has 3 grand champion legs or not. If a rabbit continuously wins BOB, that is the making a of good rabbit capable of winning BIS. If the winning is sporadically, then that is a different story.

I have heard numerous times of some breeders using the rationale of granding a rabbit and “give others a chance to win”. I ask, “chance for what?” If the other breeder has a superb rabbit, it will beat all the rabbits in the breed. There is no “chance” in this situation. The way I see it is, a rabbit will win if it has what it takes, if not, then it won’t. True, there might be some times a judge might not pick the best, overall, but then we have to look at whether this rabbit will win consistently or sporadically.

Overall, I told this person, if you are truly in it for the breed and showing, focus your goal in breeding a Best In Show rabbit, not a simple three grand champion leg rabbit.

Rabbit Show in Cleburne, Texaas

The Johnson County Rabbit Club hosted a Single Open & Youth Show on Friday, December 7, 2012, and a Double Open & Youth Shows on Saturday, December 8, 2012, in Cleburne, Texas.

I was SO excited to attend this show since it is the last for the year. I had not been able to attend previous shows and even Convention, due to work and other issues. Being at the show was awesome. I got to see and visit with my "rabbit friends" and even made new ones!

I truly enjoyed the Judging of our Angoras. Both Judges, Addison & McCraken, were very thorough and appreciative of our Angoras. They took their time appreciating the rabbits and giving us comments.

Judge Conall Addison was extra helpful with the youth. In a picture below, he is giving excellent feedback to youth, Kiki, about her Satin Angora doe. He truly took time to look Kiki in the eye, move close and give her his undevided attention as he gave feedback. I was very impressed with this type of conduct at it is imperative to make our youth as welcome as possible so they can continue showing and learning.

Overall, the whole show experience was very nice, fun, and exciting as always. Of course, I wanted my angora to win BIS, but then again, everyone there coveted that prestigious award. For my angoras, there is always next year. :)
 

 

Judge Conall Addison

Judge Ken McCraken



My Show Herd

Today, Southern Angora Rabbit Club hosted a Webinar with Presenter Linda Cassella, 2012 ARBA Convention BIS winner!
The webinar was awesome. Linda graciously gave extensive information on establishing a successful breeding program. I felt re-energized since I missed Convention and several shows this year due to many personal and work related issues.

Hours after the Webinar, I went to my rabbit shed and took pictures of my rabbits, which have not been shown. I decided to post a picture of my "show herd" that will, hopefully, make it to the Cleburne Show next weekend.

Here they are after a quick blow of their coats and arguing about being taken pictures:

 Road To Angora "SAYURI"

Road To Angora "JACK DEUCE" 

Road To Angora "EL GUAPO" 

Road To Angora "LA CHULA" 

Road To Angora "COQUETA"

Domestic Rabbit Issue Jul/Aug 2012

Yesterday, I received my copy of the Domestic Rabbit from the ARBA. I was excited to read an article from Betty Chu on "Judging the English Angora". This is an excellent article with information for the new and seasoned English Angora rabbit owner and Judges.

This little buddy came to visit me...

Okay, this cute little Dove came to visit me on Wednesday. I opened the window and it came in and easily got on my hand.

Well, the next day, he came again! This time, he kept bugging me and not letting me work! lol  Okay, again, he was let out yesterday and now this morning, he just came in again and is bugging me once again.  How cool is that?



Guardian of the Standard, by Kelly Flading

The Angora Breeder:

Guardian of the Standard

by K. Flading

Angora rabbits are cute and fluffy. Almost everyone who sees them can’t help but say, “Awwww.” at the sight of these wonderful creatures. If you own these rabbits, you may consider helping others experience the same wonderfulness of Angora rabbits. This could make the breeding of Angora rabbits a tempting proposition. Who can help but be attracted to giving such joy to others?

However, it is a huge responsibility to breed Angoras. The ownership of an Angora rabbit is more high maintenance than most other rabbit breeds. The general public is usually not prepared to take care of an Angora rabbit without proper training. This makes the potential for accidental neglect very high. Become a guardian of the American Rabbit Breeders Association’s Standard Of Perfection…the ultimate resource for the rabbit breeder/exhibitor. The SOP is a book, but it is so much more than that. The SOP lays out the standard by which the breed you love will look, move, and feel through years of history and development. It is a living document (updated every 4 years) by which a breeder can strive to reach perfection. Serious breeders will have a copy of ARBA’s SOP to help guide them in breeding goals.

What does it mean to be a guardian? A guardian is someone entrusted with protecting, watching over, or maintaining something. In this case, that something is your chosen Angora breed. Each breed has a standard by which it is judged. Know that standard. How do you get to know your breed’s standard? Get started with the ARBA Standard of Perfection. This book will be your go-to resource for body type, texture, eye color, recognized colors, and much more. From there, you will have a good foundation of what improvement means and can expand your learning through showing, mentorship, and research.

If you already have rabbits, bring them to a show! Showing your rabbits is a wonderful way to learn the standard. You spend an entire day surrounded with people who enjoy rabbits as much as you do. You can bounce ideas around about breeding philosophies, possible pairings, grooming tips, etc. As a bonus, you get an objective third party opinion about your animal from an ARBA judge. Just remember, it is just one person’s opinion about your rabbit on that particular day. You can use this information to guide your breeding program. The information and friendships gained at a show is invaluable.

Rabbit breeding can be a tricky journey...fraught with great joy and great heartache. It is not for the weak at heart. That’s why it’s helpful to have a few people you can talk to about breeding decisions, nestbox management, and such. Get a mentor. Even if you’ve read your SOP, there are still so many things that really need to be taught hands on. It is very difficult to feel what good shoulders are like within the pages of a book. Your mentor will help guide you through the decision making process and possibly shield you from the many pitfalls of novice breeders. Many seasoned breeders know that in order for the breed to improve, you must help the newcomers. It’s best for the breed if we all help each other reach for the same goal.
There are many different views about raising rabbits that you may find yourself constantly confused by conflicting information. Take the time to research the different opinions you hear. What works best for someone else’s herd may not work for your rabbits. There is comparatively little research done on rabbits and many studies can be biased based on who funded the research. Now’s the time to use your critical thinking skills and do what is best for your rabbits.

Breeding your rabbits should never be taken lightly. Breeding should always be carefully planned towards making an improvement on the breed. This is how you become a guardian of the Standard of Perfection. Sure, anyone can make some fiber or high maintenance pet bunnies, but why do that if you can really make a difference in the breed you love. If your rabbits are able to perform on the show table, you will know you’re on the right track and are making a positive contribution to your favorite little bun’s breed. It’s a marvelous thing to produce a rabbit with excellent health, a strong immune system, a great body type, and for Angoras… wonderful wool with the density and texture for which each breed calls. If you decide to breed rabbits…remember…be a Guardian of the SOP.

This article is re-printed with permission from Kelly Flading of "The KelFla Project".

Long time I don't post

I just realized that it has been such a long time since I posted on my blog. I need to get back on track. Being plagued with lots of work (as if that was bad, lol); some family illness, and of course, my oldest son moving out of the nest, have had a toll on me.

The good thing for us is that we have several English Angoras that I am hoping will continue to develop well enough to take to ARBA Convention this year. Yes, this year has been good to us. We had several litters and I've kept the best that we have, the rest were culled. I hope they continue to develop good enough to compete with the big'uns up there.

I've noticed that there are several people now in Texas that are getting into the breed and I hope they know what they are getting into in terms of care and husbandry. Therefore, I am hoping to get back on track on my program and blog and add some articles or video vignettes about the Angora breeds.

It will be good to see who is really in it for the long haul and who are just in it for the novelty or trying to make a buck out of this awesome breed. I've seen several people come and go, realizing that this breed requires extra care and there is not much money to be made out of, as breeding high quality angoras is not just simply placing a buck and doe together. Furthermore, the problem many are making is purchasing rabbits from unknown or obscure rabbitries that do not even show and are breeding indiscriminantly and sell to the unsuspecting victim. One thing I wonder is why would they not approach the "big name breeders" that have the best quality? Perhaps, the reason is that the "big name breeders" sell selectively only the ones fully committed to the breed and are NOT in it to make a buck out of this awesome breed. Overall, like everything in life, only the ones with the true intentions will last in the end.

P. Ricardo

Road To Angora Rabbitry

Okay, I had a website for several years, but now it does not work. I contacted the server, to no avail. Therefore, I decided to formulate a blog as my website, since it is easier to work with and it is free. The money I paid for setting up my website, well, it's lost, but then again, at least I have control of my own site again.

http://roadtoangora.blogspot.com/  

HAPPY EASTER

April Is National Autism Awareness Month

Central Central Texas Rabbit Club Show set for May 5, 2012

The Central Texas Rabbit Club will be hosting a DOUBLE OPEN & YOUTH Rabbit & Cavy Shows



on May 5, 2012 in AUSTIN, TX

 
I will be there with my English Angora Rabbits.

Texas Rabbit Breeders Association Show

Hello Everyone,

I had the great pleasure of meeting all my Angora and non-angora friends at the TxRBA Show. It was an awesome experience. My 3 juniors competed and received very good remarks. I can't wait till they grow up! Of course, they were no match against the Senior well deserved rabbits that won; but the experience was fun and my rabbits are getting ready to become a force to be reckon with--well, that's what I'm hoping for.  :)

I took some pictures, but mostly video of the Angora judging. I will be working on it and putting some exerpts of the judging on the blog. However, I might get to it this coming weekend as I am swamped with work.

In the mean time, I want to list and CONGRATULATE the Angora rabbit winners as follows:

Friday Show

English Angora  -  BOB Kelly Flading

 English Angora  -  BOS Sasha McPherson

Satin Angora  -  BOB Dana Faber

Satin Angora  -  BOS Dana Faber

Saturday TxRBA State Show

English Angora  -  BOB Sasha McPherson.

English Angora  -  BOS Sasha McPherson

French Angora  -  BOB  Michael & Linda F.

French Angora  -  BOS  Michael & Linda F.

Satin Angora  -  BOB  Dana Faber

Satin Angora  -  BOS  Dana Faber

Sunday Show

   English Angora  -  BOB Sasha McPherson

 English Angora  -  BOS Kelly Flading

Satin Angora  -  BOB Dana Faber

Satin Angora  -  BOS Dana Faber

Seguin Show 2012

Okay, this post is long over due, but I have been quite busy with things, plus, I did not have my camera to take pictures. I took this information from Kelly F., I know she will not mind.

There were many Angoras at the Seguin show and I hope we continue getting new people to show this awesome rabbit!

These were the results:

Show A (Judge Mike Withrow)

English Angora BOB: Brian and Kelly F. (Defiance's first leg!)

English Angora BOS: Danielle N.

French Angora BOB: Michael and Linda F.

French Angora BOS: Michael and Linda F.

Satin Angora BOB: Dana F.

Satin Angora BOS: Dana F.

Show B (Judge Loyd Morgan, Jr.)

English Angora BOB: Sasha M.

English Angora BOS: Danielle N.

French Angora BOB: Michael and Linda F.

French Angora BOS: Michael and Linda F.

Satin Angora BOB: Dana F.

Satin Angora BOB: Dana F.

I would have loved to have won!!! However, everyone else had wonderful rabbits that are deserving of their wins.

I showed 4 Juniors and got very good comments. I will be showing them again, well, now 3, since I sold one, at the TxRBA Show. I might take my REW buck to show, in lieu of the one I sold, but also because I need to register him.

Also, Sasha and Dana had a wonderful spinning demonstration and brought items to sell. It was a great success as our club, Texas Angora Rabbit Club was also being marketed to rabbit enthusiasts.

Okay, today I leave for Belton, and this time, I AM taking my Camera and Video Recorder!!!

P. Ricardo

Texas RBA STATE SHOW - Triple 3 Day Show

Carry Cage Show

Please visit the 2012 TRBA State Show Catalog for full details on the show. (Please note that the catalog reflects the year 2010)

Contact Carrol Hooks txrbasec@mcecwb.net  

Entry DEADLINE: postmark no later than

March 30, 31 & April 1, 2012 -- BELTON, TX 

DEADLINE EXTENDED TO MARCH 12!!!

I was browsing through my mail that was put aside some time ago and I found this wonderful Christmas Card that was sent to me by my good friend, Devo, of Moon Rabbit Sanctuary.

Devo rescues rabbits and provides them with a great home until new families are found for these lovely creatures.

San Antonio Rabbit Breeders Association

Open & Youth Double All Breed Show

March 24, 2012, Guadalupe County Fairgrounds, Seguin

728 Midway Seguin TX 78155

Show Secretary                                 Send Entries To:                            Show Superintendent

Barbara McArthur                             Mack Keller                                  Ike McArthur

511 Zuehl Road                                 5027 Lancelot                               830-420-3447

Marion, TX 78124                            San Antonio, TX 78218                 imenviros@yahoo.com

210-883-4807                                  210-590-7460                               http://www.sarbatx.com/
momwatz1@yahoo.com                    mkeller@satx.rr.com

Entry Fees

Open & Youth: $3.00 early, $4.00 late per rabbit per show; changes (same breed, class, variety) $1.00

Meat Pens (3): $5.00 each; Fur: $1.50 per rabbit

********* EARLY ENTRY, NO COMMENT CARD SHOW *********

Entries must be received by March 17 via e-mail or U.S. Mail on ARBA Entry Form. No phone entries. Late entries accepted day of show at higher rate.

Payments will be accepted on show date for e-mail entries; no-shows will be billed. Must designate Youth or Open or will be entered in Open.

Include e-mail address on entry form. Changes and late entries accepted no later than 7:30 a.m. Show barn opens on Saturday at 6 a.m.

Judging starts at 8 a.m. Rabbits may be left at the show barn overnight if fed & watered by owner & housed in leak-proof carriers.

Sanctions

Open & Youth: Californian, Dutch, French Lop, Holland Lop, Mini Lop, Mini Rex, Netherland Dwarf, New Zealand, Polish

Open Only: American Fuzzy Lop, Britannia Petite, English Angora, English Lop, Florida White, French Angora, Giant Angora, Mini Satin, Satin Angora

  Youth Only: Jersey Wooly

Contact the show secretary to sponsor a sanction if your breed is not listed. A sanction is not needed to show your breed. Sanctions only offer points toward breed club sweepstakes contests.

Judges

Frank Farrow, Reanelle Harris, Carrol Hooks, Gail Krall, Lloyd Morgan Jr., Mike Withrow, Katy Saul (New Mexico), Travis Finkle (Maryland)

Lunch & Refreshments served by Sunnyside 4-H Club

Super 8 Motel will be $69 per night for SARBA Show Attendees

Plan to attend the ARBA Convention: Wichita,KS Oct . 27—Oct. 31

Victoria Livestock Show

The Victoria Livestock Show was exciting, to say the least. Aside from the many other breeders and breeds, there were 4 breeders of English Angora rabbits; hence, the competition was high. Below are some pictures of the Judging show A an B.

Victoria Livestock Show

Below is the flyer for the Victoria Livestock Show. Show information was retrieved from bunnyrabbit.com Show schedule. Make sure to order supplies from bunnyrabbit.com early and they will deliver to the show, thus saving on shipping costs.

VICTORIA FAIR ASSOCIATION

February 11, 2012

Double Open & Youth All Breed Show

Victoria Community Center: Jaycee Hall, 2905 East North Street

Victoria, Texas 77901

Superintendent Secretary

Becky Kuecker Tammy Barringer

Cell: (361)-648-6736 Home: (361)-575-6611

kueckerb@yahoo.com tbtwins@hotmail.com

Entry Fees:

Open & Youth: $3.00 per rabbit/cavy

Fur: $1.50 per rabbit

Show opens Saturday at 7:00am; Judging starts at 9:00am

Prizes: Best of Breed, Best of Show, Small Sanction Breeds,

Best of Show Open & Youth

Sanctions:

Open & Youth: Californian, Holland Lop, Mini Rex, Netherland Dwarf, Dutch, French Lop, English Lop, Polish, Satin, Mini Satin

Judges:

Rabbits: Mary Crawford, Frank Farrow, Kenny McCracken, Mike Withrow

Cavy: Jamie Hogan

Broken English Angora

When I was at ARBA Convention, there were very nice Broken English Angoras. As everyone already knows, unfortunately, they did not pass presentation. However, my understanding is that NAME vowed to continue her work and not give up. It is admirable to see her dedication and determination to continue her many years work and not faulter.

Below is a very nice and cute Broken Black English Angora buck that I got from a friend of mine. She had purchased him some time ago, but decided she could no longer keep him. I took him in with my herd as our pet, since I thought he looked so cute and because he is so friendly. Needless to say, I decided to let his wool grow and it is turning out very nice. Now, I just need to blow the coat and groom him during daylight hours, because I did not do a good job as I wanted to. However, the pictures were improptu and for demonstration purposes of this cute baby. Overall, I plan to take him to shows for exhibition purposes and show the beautiful color of Broken English Angoras.

News on Grand Champion Leg for RIS

As I browsed through the NARBC Winter 2011 Newsletter, under the Board of Directors meeting there is a section that talked about..."ARBA is considering awarding a Grand Champion Leg, for Reserve in Show..."

I decided to check the ARBA site, as I normally do and under the news section, this information was publised:

THE FOLLOWING REVISION TO THE ARBA SHOW RULES IS EFFECTIVE February 1, 2012:



Section 10. It shall be mandatory to select the Best Rabbit and/or Cavy in Show. All Best In Show animals shall be awarded a Grand Champion leg, provided all requirements are met. If they are selected at a show, ARBA Legs will be awarded for Reserve in Show, Best 4 Class or Best 6 Class provided the minimum requirements of 3 exhibitors and 5 animals are met.

This is good news for all ARBA members. Now, perhaps the NARBC will address giving bonus sweepstakes points for those who receive Reserve In Show placement.

A new beginning for Road To Angora Rabbitry

We have been blessed with 4 chubby REW babies! Finally, we are getting back on track and pretty soon we will be in the show circuit again. These babies are out of RTA lines and Silvertone.

Rabbit Show (we couldn't attend)

Blacklands Prairie RBA hosted a Double Open and Youth Shows Saturday, in Waxahachie, Texas, January 13 & 14, 2012.


Unfortunately, RTA could not attend. However, we wish all our friends lots of luck in the show, especially Sasha McPhearson, Dana Faber, and Kelly, whom are showing english and satin angoras!

New Look

I've been thinking so much about creating and updating my webpage. However, I decided to revamp my blog, instead. I am hoping to get back to blogging often, and not neglect it too much.

Thus far, this is the new look.