As summer winds down and we head into fall, I have started to receive a lot of emails from people who are either post 4-H fairs, or looking to purchase animals at the ARBA Convention in Reno, Nevada. While I will be showing rabbits at Convention, due to the distance and logistical issues with travel, I am not taking rabbits to sell to the show. I will have a small number of animals available this fall, local pickup in central Indiana only. Please see the "availability" page in the navigation bar for more information. Best of luck to everyone attending Convention! Safe travels!
The first time I showed Tans at a Convention was as a youth breeder in 1999 in Louisville, Kentucky under Gene Johnston. I went with my grandfather, who made the rabbit hobby entirely possible for me as a kid. Judging the youth Tans at the 2018 ARBA Convention in Springfield, Massachusetts has truly been the highlight of my rabbit hobby. It is a moment I am sad my grandfather was not there to see as I know he would have been proud. Our youth kids nominate and vote on their judges, so I am enterally grateful to them for the opportunity. I hope they all know how seriously I took the responsibility, having been in their shoes before. I love this breed dearly. I am also very thankful to the Beveren folks. They were an amazing group to judge for. The love and enthusiasm they have for this hobby was infectious. The 2018 ARBA Convention was my first show in a year. Over the last year I have focused on making certain improvements in my herd and less on breeding for specific shows (and also just living life more — the world beyond rabbits). It was strange to go into this show focused on judging and not showing, but it ended up being my best Convention experience to date. As I look prospectively to 2019, I am hoping to get back into showing in the later part of the year. I will likely miss the National Tan Show again, but hope to make it to Convention in the fall. I am actively breeding and enjoying my animals. It is just that I am on a course at the moment that does not involve frequently showing. Keep in touch. I'm still here. Best, Kelly
[Pictured: Flynn's Aura - Black Junior Doe - BOS and Best Black at 2017 ARBA Convention]
BEST OPPOSITE SEX AND BOV BLACK
Flynn's Aura (Black Junior Doe) BOSV Black and 1st Place Junior Buck - Flynn's Afire Love
2nd Place Black Junior Buck - Flynn's Gold Rush 1st Place Senior Doe - Flynn's Ibiza
I have not had an opportunity to closely look though show results, but I had a few other top ten placings as well. As someone who focuses on blacks, winning BOV and BOSV black at Convention is a proud moment. Also, winning these three classes was a big personal accomplishment for me because they were the only classes I had show prime rabbits entered in. I had a handful of brood/unfinished animals entered in other classes because they had been brought to sell. Big thanks to the Hoosier Rabbit & Cavy Club for hosting Convention. This was hands down one of the best quality Conventions I have ever been to. While I may seem biased because I am from Indiana, I actually really love traveling to different locations for Convention. From the live stream of Best in Show judging to the excellent showroom ventilation, everything was fantastic.
Thank you also to everyone in the Tan breed who made the show run smoothly -- whether it was ramrodding, running rabbits, writing or staffing the club booth.
