Category Archives: Rabbit Show
Lessons Learned In 2012
Just before we close year 2012, I just wanted to share my thoughts about certain things that I noticed in the rabbit world lately.
A lot of people in this world cares a whole lot about what others think about them. Due to that many interesting events have unfolded. It is really interesting to see all the funny behavior and I have witnessed first hand, how far people will go just to gain others’ affirmation.
I noticed some people get into the competition to seek affirmation and also tries to downplay another breeder through manipulations. Their every action is targeted to be noticed by the competitors and they will be thrilled if it generates any form of response. In fact, the competitors that are put into such situations should be very happy instead knowing how much these people go through just to get their attention hoping that they will feel the “pinch”. To me, these are nothing but some tickles that provide me with some laughter.
Truth be told, I don’t give a *hoot* what they are doing. They are in fact the least of my concern.
I am happy for all that has happened, all the screw overs and lies, all the hypocritical behaviors that has happened for the past 2 years. It really shows how weak humans are. Even rabbits are stronger and are beyond all the small talks and actions.
I believe that it is not good bringing negativity into the new year and this is exactly why I am throwing out all the negativity on this post. As soon as I am done, there shall be new year resolutions and better things to look forward to in year 2013.
The one thing I am very please with is how unpretentious rabbits or any other pets are. You will not get your pet smile in front of you and bite your @$$ the moment you turn around. You do not have to put on a mask and be careful what you say or not to say to your pet.
Another interesting that I noticed is how some breeders tend to like all the rabbits in the world except their own. It is said that “beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder”. We should always be thankful for the rabbits that are in our homes rather than seeking and hoarding all the rabbits from all over just to be assured the best are at hand.
I believe that GC is the abbreviation that will kill the show rabbit world in Malaysia. Things are made worst with misinformed people that goes for all these titles. People have to understand that genetics is very diverse and even a rabbit with 1000 GC Legs have tendencies to produce the worst off standard offspring. Again, “beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder” and you must believe only what meets the eyes, not based on a fancy document that states the numerous titles. By the way, documents can be fabricated and changed as and when one deems necessary. There are sure some shady things going on recently as far as documentation is concerned. Last year, we have a case of a breeder providing stud service. Turned out, what promised was not what delivered. The breeder used another buck and claim it was the promised buck that did the deed. The shit hit the fan the moment the kits were born.
Truth be told, this breeder is still at large and looked upon as an expert and adorned with praises. Based on this incident, I learned that humans love to be lied to. Truth does not work anymore in this world. But am I going to change for the sake of how the world works? NO! I am the last person on earth that will kiss @$$es for the sake of praises, recognition & affirmations.
So I shall end my rantings with $crew yourselves, hypocrites!
Now, moving forward to better things…
TinyCritterz.com now carries Genesis Guinea Pig Food. This is a very good food for your cavies and it is the least you can do for your beloved guinea pigs.
Please click here to order.
As for Tru-Luv Rabbitry, I look forward to the future…
Filed under Rabbit Show, Thoughts
The Holland Lop Breed Standards Past & Present
Much has been mentioned about the Standard Of Perfection or SOP in short. It is a booklet published by the ARBA containing very comprehensive descriptions how each of the 47 rabbit breeds that it recognizes suppose to be. Though sometimes it is fairly difficult to interpret and put a physical imagination to the wordy descriptions, it is no surprise that different judges have dissimilar ideas. Though I am far from being a judge, I am guilty of favoring certain physical traits in my idea or version of a perfect Holland Lop.
As of late, I have been a little more than confused than I have ever have been seeing and reading about what is desirable or undesirable in the Holland Lop. My attention is particularly on what “bone” is and how the “stumps” are desirable – I am indeed referring to the Holland Lop’s front feet.
Nowadays, we are so in love with the little “4 studs LEGO bricks” as front legs of our Holland Lops. Having stumps for front legs do look good but if we are not careful, we may overlook the problem of low head mount.
An example of a 4 studs LEGO brick.
Just before I continue sharing my thoughts, I would like to talk a little more about the Standard Of Perfection and show you some pictures to support my observation.
A few months ago, a friend of mine shared a photo of the 1981 to 1985 Holland Lop Standard of Perfection. It was a shocker to me looking at that picture and realizing how much change these animals have gone through. The changes were beyond massive! Let’s take a look at how Holland Lops used to look like in the 80s.
A picture from the ARBA archive/vault.
And as time goes by and with many improvements and upgrades done to the Standard of Perfection, a Holland Lop is now listed as one of the compact breeds. When posed, the front feet must be aligned with the eyes and when that happens, it is said that a Holland Lop “sits up” in an “upright” position. If you have the ARBA SOP, you will find that the Holland Lop looks totally different from the above.
The current 2011 to 2015 ARBA SOP of the Holland Lop breed.
Did the difference shock you as much as it did me?
When I first saw the difference, I was like WOW (or a silent WTF?)!
Alright, let’s come back to the confusion that I have. In one of the recent shows, I hear a lot about the Holland Lops having very long front legs and those that placed well at a particular show have their chest stuck to the “stumps”.
That made me start thinking and imagining how things should really look like. My thoughts were often contradicting and in the end I got an idea to use some pictures to illustrate the concept. I must first admit that my rabbits are no way near perfect and whatever I have done with the graphic tool is solely for the reason of achieving clarity and understanding.
So today I took one of my juniors and started posing her. Of course there are still much improvement needed and nonetheless, I started to pose her like how a Holland Lop should.
This is the best pose I got out of her. She’s a nice Broken Sable Point that I am totally in love with right now.
Then I started imagining “chopping” parts of her front feet off so that I get two “4 studs LEGO brick stumps”. And the outcome…
I hope it wasn’t painful but it does look pretty good…
Alright, here’s a picture of her again before the “chop” off.
She already have nice bone to begin with, don’t you think?
Though it looks pretty good having those “stumps”, there is an adverse effect when you view her from the side (logically, that is). Remembering that when posed properly, a Holland Lop should have its front feet aligned to its eye as stated in the Standard.
This is the best pose I can get with a reasonable alignment.
Another thing that we should remember is that another desirable trait is the 1/3 rule – which is the 1 part head : 2 parts body ratio. Meaning to say, the Holland Lop’s head should make up 1/3 of the body length. Even this little Holland Lop of mine falls short of that by a couple of centimeters as depicted.
Am I seeing 3 heads?
And when I chop off the front feet to achieve the “stumps”, how do you think my little bunny will look like?
My Holland Lop starts feeling lazy and begins to slouch…
More obvious, I no longer can align the front feet with the eye and of course, the length of the body starts to increase, naturally.
Now I am seeing red…
And if we are not careful, we might feel as though we’re in the movie “Back To The Future” and produce our 1981 – 1985 Holland Lop…
A picture from the ARBA archive/vault.
The question is, who is judge and which standard do we follow?
If you have not already notice, like many in the hobby, I am not overly zealous about chasing after these impossible tweak of nature feats. Each rabbit deserves a life just like any other.
Filed under Rabbit Show, Thoughts
The Best Rabbit Show Thus Far
Today, rabbit enthusiasts from all over Malaysia gathered at Mid Valley Convention Centre for the 2nd MARBA National Rabbit Show. I really like how well organized this show is and kudos to MARBA for such a well organized rabbit show. Having had experienced the ARBA Convention at Indianapolis last year, I felt like it was a mini convention back home!
Prizes and the backdrop
The Show Arena
Nice DIY Show Coops
There are a few things that I really like about the show this time around. Firstly, when I saw the organizers placing comment cards on top of judging coops in the absence of the Judges, I beamed with a huge smile. This is the way it should be as breeders are not suppose to be placing rabbits into judging coops right in front of the judges to avoid any “favoritism” at play. Secondly, even my wife commended on how good the commentary was throughout the show. The general public that attended the show not only was able to watch the judging process but the explanation was spot on which helps everyone understand what was going on.
Comparing to 3 years ago, there has been a huge improvement and this is by far the best rabbit show to date!
ARBA President – Mr. Mike Avesing & Mr. Wade Burkhalter judged really well today and I was able to learn a lot from listening to both of them during the judging process.
The highlight of the day for me was definitely getting to meet both the judges and to have a few words with them. They are both really nice and friendly.
With Mr. Mike Avesing the ARBA President himself!
A photo with the man himself, Mr. Wade Burkhalter!
Another nice thing about the show is that, there were emphasis on pet rabbits too. There was a fancy dress contest and a dear friend approached me to loan her a couple of rabbits for the costume she hand made. She won in the same contest 3 years ago and it brings back a lot of memories. I was excited that she decided to make the 4 hours trip coming down from up north and agreed without hesitation to offer up Pixie Blu and Ivory Joy to be her models.
Busy dressing up…
Pixie Blu the magician bunny garnering 4th place!
Ivory Joy the Dracula Bunny was crowned 1st place!
Nerq & Company. Notice the color coding!
The winners of the Bunny Dress Up Contest!
And then it was time for the ARBA Rabbit Show. Both Show A and Show B run concurrently with Mike judging Show A while Wade judged Show B. I only entered 2 of my home grown rabbits – a 15 weeks old Solid Junior Buck and a Broken Senior Buck that turned 6 months (exactly) today. I did not expect my 6 months old Broken Senior Buck to do well in a class that was made up of mostly top imports in the country. I only wanted him to have more exposure knowing very well he needs time to mature. As mentioned by the commentator, Holland Lop bucks are like wine, they get better as they age.
I noticed that there were many locally bred Holland Lops that are show worthy and competitive. It is very good sign for the future of the hobby knowing that our home grown rabbits are as good as the imports. Right now, it is almost like Perseus taking on the Titans in the movie Clash of the Titans – LOL! Another good indicator is that there are more in the junior classes as compared to the previous shows. Even a first placed junior can obtain a GC Leg now with the rise in numbers in the junior classes.
Mike Judging Murdoch. Placed him 18th out of 19 rabbits in the class.
Wade judging Tru-Luv’s Murdoch. Turned 6 months today. Placed last under Wade.
On the other hand, my Solid Junior Buck placed pretty well and I am happy with how he is growing up to be a very nice show worthy buck.
A photo taken of Tru-Luv’s Blaze at 14 weeks
Mike judging Blaze. Placed him 4th out of 8 rabbits in class.
Wade judging Blaze. Placed him 3rd out of 8 rabbits in class.
Overall, it was a wonderful Saturday spent with bunny friends sharing and helping each other taking care of the rabbits and having a good time catching up!
Food for thought – “There will not be a rabbit hobby if there is a perfect rabbit”.
Last but not least, congratulations to all winners!
Wade judging Golden Pine’s Gus the little Broken Junior Buck that placed 2nd under Mike Avesing.
Filed under Rabbit Show
Bunny Frenz @ The Park
Rabbit enthusiasts came together for a fun filled afternoon at Titiwangsa Lake Garden, Kuala Lumpur for the Bunny Gathering Event organized by Bunny Frenz. It’s been a long time coming that such event is being organized. We have seen many rabbit shows that emphasizes on pedigree rabbits but today, it was a very laid back event where everyone come together to enjoy and admire their pet rabbits. It was really nice to arrive at the venue seeing rabbits running around freely!
Free And Easy Rabbit Gathering
Coming together to have some fun exchanging views and knowledge
Kudos to Mr. Amza and his team (Bunny Frenz) for their effort in putting up such a wonderful event. I believe everyone went home feeling happy.
The event kicked off with a stripped down version of a rabbit show where three judges has been invited. It was a great pleasure to be invited as one of the judges. When I was briefed about the judging criteria, I was pretty surprised and it totally caught me off guard. The criteria were very unique and made me wonder how it can be achieved. The judges are required to give points for the following:-
1. Creative Movements
We are suppose to rate the movements of the rabbits.
2. Obedience
We are suppose to rate how well the rabbits take instructions.
3. Action Difficulty
We are suppose to rate based on how dangerous the act is (no rabbits were harm in this process).
4. Activeness
We are suppose to rate based on the perkiness of the rabbits.
5. On Owner’s Instruction
We are suppose to rate based on the special instructions the owners give to their rabbits (i.e. whistling).
First up for the Bunny Show is a very beautiful black otter Netherland Dwarf. All three judges were a little stiff because we have no clue how to judge based on the criteria stated above. I tried handling the rabbit wondering how I can make it show a creative move. I successfully made him give me a little flying kick but no somersault. After a while of looking at the rabbit blankly, I suggested to the organizing team that we will be judging the rabbits based on their overall condition and they agreed. I further explained to the crowd of our judging criteria and not based on any standards as this is an event for pet rabbits. We then agreed to go through each rabbit to ensure they have clean ears, good teeth, fur with good lustre, good temperament and free from any ailments.
Being briefed by Mr. Amza about judging criteria. This was when my mind went blank.
Cikgu Syah, Mr. Brandon and I going through each rabbit and making some tough decisions.
It is difficult to pick the best rabbits because each have merits of their own.
The second activity of the day was the Fancy Bunny Contest where owners dress up their rabbits. All who are present are required to cast a vote for their favourite bunny in its costume. I fell in love with a few and take my hats off their owners for such elaborate costumes!
The Little Director!
The Little Pink Princess
A plain white T would do…
I spotted Alvin the Chipmunk’s shirt on a bunny!
Ever wonder how Sherlock Holmes look like if he’s a bunny?
Mr. Kamal with his beautiful bunny princess
Very lady like…
The Aloha Bunny!
The Ultraman Bunny!
The Director again. He’s my favourite bunny of the day!
The third activity was the Bunny Clinic where the three judges were tasked to give talks about certain topics. Once again, I was flattered to be invited to give a talk about the topic of Palpation & Tattoo. I sincerely hope that everyone learn something with what I have presented.
Cikgu Syah demonstrating how to groom a rabbit.
Tattoo and Palpation
Mr. Brandon talking about Common Rabbit Disease and Treatment
After the talks, there was a lucky draw with many wonderful prizes. And the prize giving ceremony followed.
Bunny Show 3rd Prize Winner goes to Rayyan Rabbitry. Prizes sponsored by Genesis & TinyCritterz.com
Bunny Show 2nd Place Winner. Prizes sponsored by Genesis and Golden Pines Rabbitry.
Bunny Show 1st Place Winner. Prizes sponsored by Genesis. And the winner took home a cute live rabbit!
The wonderful event came to an end after Mr. Amza gave us a beautiful souvenir each.
Thank you for the beautiful souvenir!
A mug for me to enjoy my tea!
Thank you very much to everyone for putting up such a wonderful event. I hope there will be more of such an event in future. Have a good week ahead everyone and everybun!
Filed under Meet & Greet, Rabbit Education, Rabbit Show
2012 ARBA Show
“Be careful what you wish for…”
Show Table A & Show Table B
I remember vividly about 4 years ago when I started embarking in this hobby, a friend of mine asked me what is the point of keeping Show Rabbits when there is no Rabbit Shows in Malaysia. It was back then when I look forward to hearing news of how rabbit breeders in the USA fair in Rabbit Shows weekend after weekend and yearning to have the experience back home here in Malaysia. The naive me also dreamed not only that Malaysia have rabbits shows but also being able to produce competitive rabbits of my own. A Tru-Luv rabbit that places well in shows that is. Today, that little dream has become a reality and the best part is, I get to enjoy every bit of the Rabbit Show as an exhibitor. With a busy schedule, I cannot imagine myself putting up such an event and it is definitely an enjoyable day hanging out with fellow breeders and friends. God really works in His own mysterious ways to answer prayers and the silent desire of the heart I must say.
My bunnies & I
One for the album - Chris Zemny & I
Last minute grooming
Kudos to the Malaysia Rabbit Club for again putting up a spectacular show held in a very comfortable venue for both rabbits and owners. The venue was setup exclusively for the rabbit show and even children were enjoying themselves while their parents paid full attention to the rabbit show.
The Stage, Trophies, Ribbons and Mock Cheques
Chris & Allen giving the welcoming speech before the show
The Show Room
Because it was a conducive environment, exhibitors were able to hear the judges clearly when they explain while judging the rabbits. I learned quite a few things throughout the judging.
An exhibitor placing a rabbit in the judging coop
Placing Izzie into her coop
Dovehill's Faith (left) and BBC's Izzie (right)
“Any given day, given judge & given rabbit”
Chris judging LTD's Dimsdale
Allen judging Faith
Just like last year, I attended the show with an open mind wanting to know how well my rabbits will do in the show. It is good to remind oneself that we are all the receiving end of the judges’ opinions. Their opinions will only help us in moving forward with our herd. At the same time, I am also aware that judges’ opinions may differ from one to the other. Nonetheless there are always good points to take away from each show. At some point during the show, I got a little disillusioned because of all the input and immense knowledge I received listening and looking at how the judges evaluate the rabbits.
Seeing so many beautiful rabbits that win over mine can be quite a daunting experience and the thought of revamping my entire herd did cross my mind. Then I took a step backwards and thought to myself. If I would to follow the different judges’ opinion, I might as well be revamping my herd every time a new judge comes to town. It was at that moment, something happened and affirmed that this hobby is not about getting new stocks just for the win. The hobby is made to be prolonged when we work towards breeding our own show worthy animals.
I remembered Chris Zemny’s words pretty clearly when she said that the Juniors are the ones she is excited about because competitive juniors that are bred locally shows how well the breed is doing here in Malaysia (or something along those lines). She then goes on to pick Tru-Luv’s Murdoch, my 2nd generation home grown Broken Junior Buck as the #1 for the BJB class in SHOW A. Allen Mesick also gave Murdoch the same placing in SHOW B.
Chris judges the Broken Junior Buck class while Murdoch poses
Having a picture with Chris and Murdoch
The win is not mine alone. I only have my rabbit friends in the USA to thank for it. I am grateful to those who have sent me very good foundation stocks and have entrusted me to work with their rabbits. I am very grateful for all of their mentoring and encouragements. Sometimes it is amazing how rabbit friends place their warm embrace around me when I face both bunny issues and life’s struggles alike. We have grown out of the “just rabbit friends” into a big family.
Dimsdale & Me
Not forgetting the few bunny family I have here. We share so much when we meet – talking and laughing our hearts out with the little events that happened throughout the show. We share the joys of winnings and pick each other up whenever the results were undesirable. The good thing that I see throughout today is that parents in the hobby is now exposing the next generation (their children) at the rabbit show. I would love to see the younger generation picking up this hobby. My wife told me that she rather see young people spending their time at rabbit shows than to wander around shopping malls aimlessly. I couldn’t agree more and that should be our aim moving forward.
Tru-Luv's Murdoch is a product of Fellowship, Friendship & Fun!
Last but not least, congratulations to all winners!
Filed under Bucks, Does, Juniors, Rabbit Show
Raffle for Holland Lop painting!
The 2012 HLRSC Nationals will be held in Washington next year and in their effort to raise funds, the Northwest Holland Lop Club commissioned my father to paint a picture of a Holland Lop. The painting is 15″ x 12″ in dimension. A raffle is like a lucky draw where people who are interested will purchase a raffle ticket with the lucky number. A draw will be made at a specific time and in this case I believe it will be on the 3rd of December 2011 at a Rabbit show in Monroe.
Dad & I would like to wish the Northwest Holland Lop Club all the best in their effort to raise funds and may the Nationals be a huge success!
The Beautiful Painting for the Raffle
For more information please join the Facebook event – https://www.facebook.com/events/167502100006823/
How can you purchase the tickets?
Here are some information posted on the Facebook page:
If you are not attending either of those shows and would like to purchase a ticket, please message Tiffany Field privately here on Facebook or send an email to tigger03@gmail.com and she will give you her mailing address to send payment to. As soon as she receives payment she will send you an email with your ticket stub numbers and/or send you your half of the ticket stub if you so choose.
Filed under Rabbit Artwork, Rabbit Show, Rabbits Around The World
88th ARBA Convention through my lenses
I would like to mention that this will be a pretty long (may not be the best as I cope with Jet Lag) post as I recollect my memories and experience at the 88th ARBA Convention held in Indianapolis, Indiana USA. As most of you have seen in my previous postings, I really had a blast and it was a dream come true for me.
I started out my journey to Indianapolis in the afternoon of 27th October 2011 at 2.30 pm. I arrived at Taipei International Airport for a transit and soon I was on the plane heading to Los Angeles, USA. There was a little delay in between Taipei and Los Angeles and that caused me to miss my direct flight into Indianapolis. I got a little panicky for missing that flight but was fortunate to get a replacement flight. I was stranded at LAX airport from 10 pm until 5.30 am when I boarded the plane to Detroit. It was the longest flight and at this point I was getting really tired from staying up at the airport. I then took an hour flight from Detroit to Indianapolis. I was scheduled to arrive at Indianapolis at 5.30 am on Friday 28th October and because I missed the flight, I finally arrived at Indy at 3.30 pm.
Momma Cheri and Aunt Karen came to pick me up from Indianapolis airport and boy was I excited to see them. My tiredness vanished and I finally found myself being very energetic. Asked if I wanted to freshen up at the hotel, I quickly said no and we were on our way to the show room.
When I arrive at Indy, I was greeted by the most beautiful Autumn or more fondly known as Fall by the locals. The journey to the show room took a little while and I cannot help but to notice all the beautiful buildings. The trees were covered with yellowish leaves which was a clear indicator that it was the Fall season. The temperature was just nice for me as I enjoyed the cool breeze.
Nice architecture all around
Beautiful Autumn trees
Looking at the buildings and surroundings, it does feel like I am in the movie while being here.
Fairgrounds!
A Barn at the Fairgrounds
Love the architecture!
The moment I step out of the car, it feels as though my soul has found its home.
It ain't complete without the PEACE sign!
The Pepsi Coliseum - where the BIS judging took place
The entrance to where thousands of rabbits gather
Since judging only begins on Sunday morning, the show room was a little empty because most breeders will only arrive on Saturday. The South Pavilion entrance leads us into the youth show room and the open show room was further into the building.
Part of the Youth Section
The Floor plan
And since the show coops were pretty empty, I did not go round taking photos of rabbits but instead hang out with my friends most of the time. I was so happy to finally be able to meet everyone in person.
The awards being displayed at the HLRSC supply booth
One of the many show tables
This is where the Open Holland Lop judging took place
First thing Saturday morning, I took my camera and went around both the Open and Youth Show Room to capture photos of all the rabbit breeds.
I started off from the Chekered Giant and Belgian Hare sections
Each section is clearly defined by a sign for each breed
I am drawn to the Chekered Giant breed because it looks magnificent. But don't be fooled by its appearance because I witnessed how one of these hung onto a judge's apron and trashed him with its back legs. This breed is normally judged by the way it moves so a "run way" was prepared for the judging
I love a Belgian Hare when it poses. Very elegant!
The humongous Flemish Giant!
I like the rich grey color of the Giant Chinchilla
If I ever keep one of these English Lops, I will name it Jar Jar Binks!
The huggable French Lop or also known as Frenchie
In between the French Lops and the Holland Lops, it is the Mini Lops size wise
The Silver Fox is a very beautiful breed with "ticking" on its fur. I believe the term "steel" can also used.
The English Spot breed reminded me of the Dalmation dog
I always thought that the New Zealand breed only comes in white color but there were many other varieties as well:
Broken Black New Zealand
The REW New Zealand
The Red New Zealand
The Californian with its distinctive markings
Stunning Silver Marten
This broken black Rex rabbit looks very majestic
Another beautiful Rex rabbit that captured my attention
The Palomino
Blanc De Hotot?
The American Sable
This Beveren is cute!
The Cinnamon rabbit reminds me of Cinnamon Rolls!
The American Chinchilla which is slightly smaller than the giant version
The absolutely gorgeous Champagne D'Argent!
Beautiful Lilac
Creme D'Argent
Harlequin
American
Rhinelander
A Satin rabbit. I really like its plush fur texture
A Mini Satin, smaller version of the regular Satin breed
A beautiful Mini Rex with a unique color
Florida White
Tan
One of my other favorite breeds - Dutch
Himalayan
The third Chinchilla breed, the Standard Chinchilla
I fell in love with the bright red color of the Thrianta
The Silver
Isn't this Havana gorgeous?
A beautiful REW Britannia Petite
An otter variation of the Britannia Petite
I saw many stunning Dwarf Hotot
The big eye of this Netherland Dwarf captured my attention. That is how the Netherland Dwarf should really be!
The posh Polish!
English Angora
I believe this is the Satin Angora
This little American Fuzzy Lop caught my attention. Just too cute to miss!
A friend's beautiful Jersey Wooly
Last but not least, my favorite breed, the Holland Lop section!
#2 Best Fur Holland Lop
At this point I was pretty much exhausted going through every aisle of rabbits in the Open Section so I decided to snap the Youth Show Room in sections instead of focusing on just one rabbit at a time.
Beautiful Tan rabbits
I am in love with this English Lop
A beautiful Jersey Wooly owned by my dear friends of Three Little Ladies Rabbitry!
The amazing thing about Convention is that, you will never find a breed without breeders. That’s what makes the Convention so special because you get to see many breeds under one roof. How I wish we have all these breeds in Malaysia.
On show day (Sunday), I could feel the intensity of the competition as all exhibitors/breeders crossed their fingers hoping to place well with their rabbits. I really enjoyed watching all the judges go through the rabbits and cutting the numbers down to top 10s. After the top 10s has been identified, the atmosphere gets more tensed and after the Best of Breeds are picked, there was a huge sigh of relief from all around.
The District 9 Director Dr. Jay judging one of the breeds
Mr. Allan Ormond working on one of the Holland Lop youth tables
Mr. Scott Rodriguez and Mr. Uno Kivi during the Youth Holland Lop Best of Breed judging
After all the Best Of Breeds has been identified, everyone adjourned to the Pepsi Coliseum for the group and Best In Show judging. In the Open, a White New Zealand was awarded Best In Show while in Youth, a Holland Lop once again was picked as Best In Show.
Group and BIS judging in the Pepsi Coliseum
ARBA Vice President Mr. Erik Bengtson going through one of the Youth groups
Like every other breed, this is the Holland Lop breed Auction where a number of beautiful Holland Lops were sold
That's me again picking the lucky ticket for the Raffles. Thanks to the HLRSC for giving me the pleasure of picking the lucky winning ticket.
At every ARBA convention, the breed presentation is held to pass new colors to existing breeds or passing the new breeds. Unfortunately for the Lionhead, its presentation did not pass this time around.
A cute little Blue Point Holland Lop waiting in the Presentation coop
My last evening at Indy was spent at the wonderful HLRSC Banquet where awards were given out to all who has placed Top 10.
Beautiful awards on display!
The artist who did all these awards is Emily Hromi from Ohio.
More awards!
And this year I have the pleasure not only to attend the banquet but also to donate a Holland Lop painting for the Auction. The highest bid was USD 750 and it was an unforgettable moment for me when the winner of the bid presented the painting to a fellow breeder – the breeder of the rabbit in the painting.
Beautiful framing done and donated by Momma Cheri
And then the day I dread arrived as quickly as how my journey started. It was an emotional farewell for me and I carry with me all the wonderful moments I shared with so many amazing people. I am still in awe by the fact that I was at this place where all the best in the USA gathers. Just imagine the big names in the hobby that I have heard of before this, I am able to put a face to all of them. And the best part is, we get to finally meet each other in person!
As I mentioned in my earlier post, I did not know what to expect with this trip and I definitely did not expect to be bawling like a baby. I did not expect such amazing hospitality. I was not only accepted as just a friend but as a part of a big bunny family. I will cherish all these wonderful people that I have met in my heart as each and everyone has earned a part of my heart. I certainly did not expect to miss everyone so badly but I really did. It was indeed a week where I need not explain to anyone why I love rabbits.
I have also learned so much during the entire week and I hope that I will be able to share what I have learned back home. I do have some plans that I would like to present and dreams to be fulfilled back home. I hope to get the MROA up and running so that we can have those visions achieved. Besides from the technical lessons on how to raise quality rabbits, most of what I have learned are life lessons and humility is definitely the one most important lesson that I have learned. You really have to respect a winner that goes, “We did very well, thank you!”. That’s sheer humility and that is what you will get from the Best Of Breed winner!
Last but not least, I must also thank the people that are most easily taken for granted – my family. My gratitude goes to my wife who has been maintaining our household single handed. She is my pillar of strength and her support means the world to me. I would also like to thank my parents and especially my dad for helping me with bunny chores. Yes, that man that paints those beautiful portraits actually helps me with cleaning my rabbit cages while I am away.
Till we meet again USA!
Filed under Rabbit Show, Rabbits Around The World
Goodbye 88th ARBA Convention, Indianapolis
Today being the last day of Convention, I cannot help but to feel sad. Although this hobby evolves around RABBITS, it is surprising to me that I am not feeling sad because I will miss seeing all these beautiful rabbits but rather, I will miss all the wonderful people that I have met. The real deal is that, it is not about rabbits after all but the friendship that you build upon rabbits. Rabbits are the true winner in this wonderful situation because it broke down all barriers of differences – culture and geographical location altogether. Who would have thought, an average Joe call Timothy Chan will end up in a place where Top Rabbit breeders gather to compete?
What I can share with my fellow Malaysians right now is that, the rabbit hobby here in the USA is really a big part of its AGRICULTURAL industry. We have to understand that rabbits are bred for many reasons beside for pets. And whatever the purpose for each breed is, breeders must breed for the best based on the Standard of Perfection laid down by ARBA. Although most breeds are raised for agricultural and commercial purpose, the “fancy” breeds are also included as part of the entire rabbit breeding industry.
And so what did Timothy Chan do in the 88th ARBA Convention?
To be honest, I have a lot of fun. For the first 2 days it was pretty intense because of the competition vibe. I learned a lot mostly through observation. Yesterday and today was a little laid back.
First, we had the HLRSC meeting to sort out some stuff. The highlight of the meeting for me was when my dad’s painting received an honorary mention because there is a raffle being put up by next year’s HLRSC Nationals (Washington) committee. I feel so proud of my dad and I really hope that the painting will raise substantial amount of funds for the organizing committee.
HLRSC Meeting
Then we went back to the show room for Holland Lop auction. I did not bid on any rabbits because I was unable to bring any home (heart breaking).
SOLD!
And to my surprise, I was asked to draw the lucky ticket for the HLRSC Raffles where 3 (a trio of) beautiful Holland Lops has been donated as the prize. Such an honor to be able to pick the winner for the raffle.
Picking the Lucky Winner!
The lucky winner was a youth breeder!
After the raffles, I was lucky to be able to attend Mr. Allan Ormond’s class for the youth. He is a renown/respected judge and I call him Gandalf of the bunny world. I learned so much in his session and I shall remember all the amazing knowledge that he has shared today.
Mr. Ormond, showing us how to look for a good Holland Lop
Before we left the show room, I helped to feed and water rabbits which without, my trip will not have been complete.
I have hay, feed and an apron just like a show breeder here. 🙂
I just feel overwhelm knowing that I will be leaving this wonderful place and its wonderful people. It makes me want to make a trip here every year. There is so much love here and it just blows my mind away. I really cannot thank all my friend here enough. I shall not mention names because I am afraid I might miss someone out and someone will be mad at me.
My friends here in Indy (you know who you are), a HUGE THANK YOU to all of you for making my 1st Convention the BEST experience of my LIFE! I love all of you and I can never thank all of you enough. You have showed me that there are things in life that goes beyond the dollar sign and all of you have inspired me to be kind and “pay it forward” whenever possible. I will miss all of you very much and I will be thinking of all of you everyday of my life.
On that note, I would like to share a quote that came to mind early this morning while trying to get myself out of my melancholic feeling and here goes:
“When your BIG Dream is fulfilled, you become a BIGGER person. You then dream LARGER dreams, work towards getting them fulfilled and you keep on GROWING!”
Filed under Rabbit Show, Rabbits Around The World
The Amazing 2011 ARBA Convention Experience!
What did I do for the past 2 days? Well let me see…
I have been showered with so much LUV here to a point that there is no jet lag from the 12 hours difference. Partly because I don’t sleep much anyway. Words just cannot explain how I feel so far. I first thought that there will be reservation on everyone’s part since we only got to know each other through the internet. I was so wrong! I now know for sure that I have so many friends out here.
I have the pleasure to meet so many friends here and finally put faces to the many names that I know. It feels almost surreal and each time I feel like I am in a dream, I get a hug and that reminds me that I am really here in Indianapolis attending the grandest Rabbit event of the year! One huge unbelievable thing that struck me while I am here is that, this is THE place to be because this is where the BEST in the bunny world gathers. Just thinking about it, all the names that I have known from back home, most of them are here!
The hospitality that was extended to me was absolutely fantastic and words just cannot express how happy I am to be here right now. All that I can say for now is that, I am LUVed!
As you can see, it’s very easy to be distracted with so much LUV going on around here and let’s get back to the real topic. I am happy to say that I “ran” my first rabbit today. ROFL. It’s a new term to me as well. Running rabbit means that we help look for a rabbit and put it into the judging coop. It’s a very nice and efficient way of getting involved at a show. As we all know, judges must not know whose rabbits they are judging and so, in order to avoid having the breeders to put their rabbits in the judging coop themselves, everyone is given a card so that they retrieve the rabbits and place them into their respective coops. That’s exactly what I did today besides from being so busy snapping pictures, I took a little card, go look for a rabbit and put it in its coop.
There were so many beautiful rabbits in both the Youth and Open category. And there were also some breeds that have captured my attention. I do hope that there will be Malaysia breeders that will show interest in working with these breeds other than just the Holland Lops and the Netherland Dwarfs.
Being here really gave me a clearer picture how this rabbit hobby really is and also dispelled some of my misunderstanding about it – much are not what they seemed to be from how I look at things back in Malaysia and that in itself is very interesting!
Part of the Show Room!
Cavy!
Wheek! Wheek!
Cavy section...
Youth Holland Lops Judging!
Getting ready for the big show!
Very Cute Holland Lop!
Bunny hopping!
Beautiful Belgian Hare!
Beautiful Mini Rex
Jersey Wooly
Nice Hollands!
Filed under Rabbit Show, Rabbits Around The World
Tru-Luv Rabbitry: Quality Holland Lops in Malaysia 