I stepped in as a last-minute replacement judge for the Llano Estacado RBA in Lubbock this weekend. I have gone over 250 rabbits before, but this weekend I learned that rabbit judges, like runners, do catch a second wind. For me, it’s slightly over 300!
This was my first trip to West Texas and I was very impressed by the people. No one was anything but friendly, and everyone remained cheerful even after being confronted with some challenges in the rabbits:judges ratio. Rabbit shows are for fun, and this group exemplified that!
One of the highlights of the weekend was the large number of Dutch shown. The Southwest Dutch Rabbit Fanciers Association held a specialty in addition to the regular show, and I was able to see my Dutch friends, the Hidalgo/McClish family, and meet several enthusiastic youth breeders. This group is doing a fantastic job of promoting Dutch in the southwestern states along with making some real strides in their own breeding programs.
I was lucky enough to judge Dutch on Friday night. I gave BOB to a black SB of Carolyn and Ryan’s, and BOS to a tort JD owned by Christina Frank. She was a purchase at the NDS Seller’s Class from Gene Knieling of Oregon. Winnings in the all-breed shows were spread out and I didn’t catch them all. In the specialty show, BOB went to a steel doe of Carolyn and Ryan’s, and I had BOS with Woody, my blue barely-senior buck.
A long trip, but well worth it. I don’t remember working this hard AND having this much fun at a show in a very long time!
