Show Tails

A few days ago we promised to get back to you with some more information on rabbit agility, or show jumping for rabbits.  Rabbit show jumping is eerily similar to horse showjumping as our exclusive pictures reveal.  In show jumping, if a horse and rider can complete the course within the prescribed time, without incurring any faults (knocking down a jump) it is a clean round. 

A clean round

Same goes for rabbit jumping, as demonstrated by Rusty. The official world record in high jump for rabbits is a gigantic 995 millimetres, yes, almost a metre. The highest jump recorded for a horse is 2.47 metres set by a thoroughbred stallion ridden by Captain Alberto Larraguibel in Chile in 1947.

In show jumping a series of obstacles is known as a combination.  In rabbit jumping, a series of obstacles is insurmountable. When a horse refuses a jump in show jumping, it is known as disobedience. In rabbit jumping it is called, well, I’m not sure, but it seems hard to accuse a rabbit of disobedience.

Rabbits are smarter than you think. There might be more than one way to skin a cat, and there is more than one way to get past an obstacle in rabbit show jumping. Rabbits, used to living underground (people from the bush still refer to them as underground mutton, a throughback to the depression era when rabbits were rations, not pets) like to go under, rather than over, most obstacles. This creates obvious problems for the competitive rabbit.  Instinct takes over, and under they go.

Under and out

Since 1997, the Rabbit competition has increased and currently attracts around 250 entries, with over four types of breeds – Fur, Rex, Lop and Fancy.   

Rabbits made their first appearance during the Sydney Royal Easter Show in the mid 1800s.  The 1858 prize schedule featured two classes for rabbits, which were ‘Best couple of Lop-eared Rabbits’ and ‘Best couple of rabbits of any breed’.  They also appeared in 1869-1877 and 1881-1882. Rabbits in this period were in the poultry section, sometimes alongside ferrets, cage birds, cavies and kangaroos!

If you like small furry animals, the rat and mouse show is held one day only on April 26.  Cat display days are on April 20 and 21 and the Open Championship Cat Show is on April 22 and April 25.  Dog events continue through to April 25. And nothing is cuter than the new born piglets in the Pig and Goat pavilion. You can see them tucked up in their straw bed with their protective mum anytime.