Monday, March 20, 2006
Signs Of A Good Holland Judge
When I first started showing Hollands, it did not matter one whit to me who the judges were. Every judge knew infinitely more about Holland lops than I did.
But times change and now I am much pickier about which judges I value the opinions of. It's still a tricky thing, but here are a few things to think about.
But times change and now I am much pickier about which judges I value the opinions of. It's still a tricky thing, but here are a few things to think about.
- Has the judge been asked to judge rabbits at Convention and/or Holland Lop Nationals? Generally, you just find the best of the best judging at these shows.
- Is the judge regarded highly by the Holland community at large? Get the opinions of Holland breeders whose judgment you trust.
- Does the judge handle and pose Hollands well? Not only does the judge pose the Holland lightly on the front feet, but does he or she use an alternate handling method if the rabbit doesn't respond to the first method? Does the judge give an excited rabbit a chance to relax? Does the rabbit get the chance to show what he's got?
- Does the judge place too much emphasis on condition, fur, and ear control? These are sure signs that the judge is not familiar or comfortable with the breed or the standard.
- Does the judge over-emphasize absolute massiveness as opposed to massiveness for the rabbit's size? It should not be a contest of who has the rabbit closest to 4.00 without going over. A 3-lb. rabbit that looks 3 1/2 lbs. is massive. A 4-lb rabbit that looks 4 lb. is not massive.
- Can the judge comment on the details of the Holland? A judge that focuses on qualities common to all breeds may lack the detailed knowledge of our breed. Can the judge give accurate comments on crown placement, curvature, top line, and head mount (high, but not at the expense of long front legs or "daylight")?
- Is the judge color blind, with the exception of identifying non-showable colors? A judge who is so focused on conformation to standards won't be distracted by rarer colors or prejudiced in favor of torts.
- Bonus - is the judge knowledgeable in the rarer issues facing our breed, such as how to properly evaluate a white tail, find deviated spines, or make correct decisions in other rare situations?
I realize there are precious few judges as described above. Besides availability issues, there are costs involved in flying great Holland judges in for a show.
I personally would like to see more specialty clubs pumping their profits back in to subsidizing just these types of judges at the shows I attend. (I know, I know - new clubs are still hoping to see their first profits.)
Getting better Holland judges at shows is one of the best ways we can improve our showing experience and give us the information we need to take back to our breeding programs.
A breeder commented this weekend on one particular judge, "That's information you can take to the bank." Now that's what I'm talking about!
Laurie Stroupe
The Nature Trail Rabbitry
Holland Lops Of Distinction
Precious Pet Rabbits
Pet Rabbit Care Information, Quality Pet Rabbit Breeders, and Rabbit Fun
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I agree completely! I think that as breeders we need to privately acess these factors and pick out aa list of judges within our clubs and alwayss choose from that list,which would constantly be growing so that we can have judges that know what their doing and that the exhibitors agree with. I didnt realize what kind of competition you had in NC this weekend,.now realizing it, CONGRATS even more..thats pretty good what you accomplished!
Your friend
Peter
Your friend
Peter
# posted by 
: 5:28 PM
: 5:28 PM
Competition in NC is really something else and as a young barn- just celebrated my first anniversary show, I appreciate the efforts of breeders, such as, Laurie who will bring younger stock to the shows at times to give the rest of the breeders a chance. It gets to be very discouraging to always be the first thrown off the table. Then when you progress a bit in your breeding, it is hard to always come in 2nd through whatever the number is on the table from the better barns.
I really enjoy judges that take the time to comment about all the rabbits and have something positive to say about all the rabbits on the table. I know for me that I drive 4 or more hours every time I come to a show. It isn’t cheap this hobby of ours. It upsets me to have a judge act like I am imposing when I ask him to speak up or go over his comments again if I didn’t understand them. I even had a judge practice his auctioning skills going over my rabbits. Yes, they were the tail end of the class which was huge. But they were my rabbits and I paid my entry fees like anyone else and I and my rabbits deserved better. I didn’t say anything. I just cried on the way home and almost sold out my rabbitry.
It was another breeder who talked with me and helped me remember that was only one judge. She also helped me remember that other bunnies in my barn had done quite well and would do so again. I just wonder how many people are lost because of harsh comments.
Anyway, thanks again Laurie for all you do. Candace
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I really enjoy judges that take the time to comment about all the rabbits and have something positive to say about all the rabbits on the table. I know for me that I drive 4 or more hours every time I come to a show. It isn’t cheap this hobby of ours. It upsets me to have a judge act like I am imposing when I ask him to speak up or go over his comments again if I didn’t understand them. I even had a judge practice his auctioning skills going over my rabbits. Yes, they were the tail end of the class which was huge. But they were my rabbits and I paid my entry fees like anyone else and I and my rabbits deserved better. I didn’t say anything. I just cried on the way home and almost sold out my rabbitry.
It was another breeder who talked with me and helped me remember that was only one judge. She also helped me remember that other bunnies in my barn had done quite well and would do so again. I just wonder how many people are lost because of harsh comments.
Anyway, thanks again Laurie for all you do. Candace
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