A.R.B.A.
Membership: What's in It for Me?
"So,
what is the A.R.B.A. and why should I join it?" If
you raise and sell
rabbits, I am sure that you have
heard that question at least once or twice.
Background
of the A.R.B.A.
The
American Rabbit
Breeders Association, Inc. (A.R.B.A.)
has been around in one form or another since the
early 1900s. It originally started out as the National
Pet Stock Association, and then it became the National
Breeders and Fanciers Association of America. In
the early 1920s, the name was changed again--this
time to American Rabbit and Cavy Breeders Association.
Then in the 1950s, the name was changed to our familiar
American Rabbit Breeders Association.
The
A.R.B.A. is the only American all-breed organization
on the national level with its membership comprised
of both rabbit and cavy breeders. (There is, however,
an American Cavy Breeders Association.) While the
A.R.B.A. was originally founded to promote both the
commercial and fancy aspects of rabbit raising, it
has primarily focused on the fancy, or exhibition,
perspective of rabbit raising in the last several
years. Within the last few years, there has been
a resurgence of interest in the commercial aspect
of rabbit raising primarily due, at least in the
author's humble opinion, to the efforts of one woman--Pat
Lamar of Washington. She was appointed head of the
Commercial Committee by the A.R.B.A. President at
the time, Cindy Wickizer. Pat worked tirelessly to
reacquaint rabbit breeders with this almost forgotten
attribute of the utilitarian rabbit.
Benefits
of Membership
Once
your initial membership application is sent in and
processed, you will receive a packet of material
back from the A.R.B.A. home office. In this material
will be your membership card, which will have a number
on it that is unique to you. You will have to present
this card to be able to register rabbits.
Also
in that packet will be the Official Guidebook
to Raising Better Rabbits and Cavies, which is
simply overflowing with good information. You will
automatically receive a subscription to the bi-monthly
publication Domestic Rabbits, which includes
information about the various facets of rabbit/cavy
breeding such as medical information, specialty club
and district news, listings of upcoming shows, lists
of judges and registrars, and much, much more. Each
year you will receive a copy of the A.R.B.A. Yearbook,
which contains the constitution and bylaws of the
A.R.B.A., show rules, listings of current district
directors, lists of both judges and registrars by
state, and a listing of all the clubs currently sanctioned
by the A.R.B.A. The Yearbook also has a state
by state listing of all A.R.B.A. adult members with
their addresses and, in many cases, a listing of
what breeds they raise. In a separate section are
the rules for the various youth programs offered
by the A.R.B.A. along with listings of the youth
members names and addresses. (More on the youth programs
later.)
The
A.R.B.A. provides a common meeting ground for all
rabbit/cavy breeders or fanciers from any background.
This provides the members with unlimited opportunities
to interact with other A.R.B.A. members from anywhere
in the United States, Canada, South Africa, Australia,
Japan, and Great Britain as well as many other countries.
A.R.B.A.
Clubs and Shows
The
A.R.B.A. established procedural protocol for the
organization of state, local, and specialty rabbit/cavy
clubs as well as setting strict guidelines for the
exhibition of rabbits and cavies. These guidelines
allow breeders to attend any show sanctioned by the
A.R.B.A. in any part of the nation and know that
the rules and procedures will be the same. In addition
to establishing the protocol for clubs and shows,
the A.R.B.A is also responsible for the licensing
of the rabbit/cavy judges to officiate at shows and
the licensing of registrars to register rabbits.
By doing this, the A.R.B.A. can maintain a uniformity
of evaluation of each animal presented for competition
and/or registration.
A.R.B.A.
Publications
Working
with the national specialty clubs, the A.R.B.A. has
taken the responsibility of maintaining a written
standard for every breed of rabbit or cavy that it
recognizes. These are very precise descriptions detailing
what the perfect example of each recognized breed
would look like. These standards are compiled and
published in a book, Standard of Perfection,
and are the basis for all judging competitions sanctioned
by the A.R.B.A. Each standard is carefully reviewed,
updated, and republished every five years.
Closely
related to the "Standard of Perfection" is the national
registry of rabbits and/or cavies that is maintained
by the A.R.B.A. This registry is unique in the nation,
if not the world, in that each and every animal presented
for registration has to be individually examined
by a licensed A.R.B.A. registrar! Each animal has
to meet the minimum specific breed requirements as
set forth in the Standard of Perfection. (Certain
dog and horse clubs are now doing DNA typing, but
I don't know if they have finally started requiring
similar individual animal examinations.) Using this
procedure assists in maintaining the highest quality
possible in registered stock because unworthy offspring
are not "automatically" registerable just because
their parents were.
The
A.R.B.A. is among the leaders in providing grants
for rabbit/cavy research. One of the current recipients,
Dr. Mark Suchow, is trying to develop a vaccine for
the prevention of pasteurella multocida, which is
one of the worst nightmares for a rabbit breeder.
Regular reports on his research are carried in Domestic
Rabbits magazine.
The
United States and Canada are divided into districts,
and each district holds regular elections for a director
who will represent that district at A.R.B.A. meetings.
Within the A.R.B.A., the President and Vice President
are also elected, and sometimes the campaigning can
get a little stiff. Members are actively encouraged
to know their district representative and to participate
in the election process.
The
A.R.B.A. National Convention
Once
a year, for four days in October, the A.R.B.A. holds
a national convention that is probably the biggest
rabbit/cavy show in the world. Breeders from all
over the country, and frequently from around the
globe, enter the very best of their animals in hopes
of winning the coveted Best In Show trophy. These
conventions are held in various cities around the
nation from year to year, and to the newcomer, they
can be just a bit overwhelming. In 1997, the convention
was held in Madison, Wisconsin, and there were over
19,000 rabbits were entered. Walking into a room
the size of two football fields and seeing all these
top quality specimens of each breed is a totally
awesome experience. (The '97 convention was this
author's first.)
The
A.R.B.A. Youth Program
The
A.R.B.A. doesn't neglect its youth. In about 1958,
the A.R.B.A. initiated a program called the "Youth
Division Specialty Club" in order to formally recognize
its youth members. While the youth members did enjoy
some of the same services of the adult members, they
elected their own officers and directors, had their
own separate constitution and bylaws, and made their
own rules.
During
this period, they were often referred to as "a club
within a club." They did have their own national
sweepstakes program, but it didn't fare too well
because there were simply too few youth shows.
In
1971, when Oren Reynolds became president, he proposed
sweeping reforms of the youth program. He wanted
to bring the youth fully into the A.R.B.A. with the
same privileges as the adult members except the ability
to vote. His reforms did suggest lowering dues and
sanction fees as well as abolishing the unsatisfactory
sweepstakes program and replacing it with contests
geared specifically to the youth's needs.
In
the first year of the reforms implementation, youth
membership more than doubled, and it still continues
to grow each year. The A.R.B.A.currently sanctions
58 youth clubs. (California has the most with 13
separate youth clubs. However, many states have no
youth clubs.) Many youth members also belong to their
local 4-H and/or F.F.A. programs. Because of this,
the A.R.B.A. tries to work hand-in-hand with the
national headquarters of both 4-H and the F.F.A.
(The Boy and Girl Scouts have dropped their rabbit
programs and badges.)
The
A.R.B.A. offers several youth contests that are based
variously on the youth's knowledge of rabbits/cavies,
proper herd management, and record keeping and on
a youth's ability to judge the quality of their animals,
among other things. These contests include the National
Achievement Contest, the National Management Contest,
the Educational Contest, the Judging Contest, and,
of course, the well-known Rabbit or Cavy Royalty
contest. While the Education, Judging, and Royalty
Contests are held on a national level at the national
convention, the others are held first on a district
level with the district winners then competing against
each other for a national winner.
There
is also the A.R.B.A. scholarship program, which high
school graduates can apply for. A committee reviews
the applications and selects the winners. Information
on the contests and scholarship program can be requested
by letter from the A.R.B.A.
More
Information
Anyone
wanting more information about the A.R.B.A. is invited
to write to:
A.R.B.A.
P.O. Box 426
Bloomington, IL 61702
The
A.R.B.A. is also online, and its Web site is located
at http://www.nmia.com/~arba/. Its e-mail address is ARBAPOST@AOL.COM.
