Showmanship Guidelines

What is Showmanship

showmanshipShowmanship is an opportunity for a 4-H member to show how much he or she knows about rabbits and how well they can handle them. A good showman is a combination of their knowledge, manners, proper dress and handling skills.

They have learned the art of selecting, fitting/grooming and presenting rabbits to their best advantage. The confidence and ability demonstrated by the showman and the rabbit’s response and grooming indicates the amount of previous work done with the rabbit. Knowledge is the response to questions about the rabbit parts, disqualifications, breeds and variety characteristics. 

showmanshipShowmanship is not difficult to do, but it is very obvious when a member doesn’t know how to do it properly. Watching and doing what others do can make the contestant look very foolish when the person being copied is doing things wrong. Always watch the judge, not the other people that are doing showmanship.

In order to get good score at showmanship, the member must start early in the year with his or her rabbit. Practicing is very important. It is suggested that the member work with his or her rabbit a minimum of 30 minutes every week, right up until fair, in order to be prepared. This guide will go over the basic requirements for rabbit showmanship as well as offer tips and judging factors.


Review the following guidelines from various sources to prepare yourself for showmanship evaluation.
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Title Origin Notes 
Rabbit Showmanship ARBA Score Sheet
Texas 4-H Rabbit Showmanship AgriLife Extension  
4‐H Rabbit Showmanship    
Evaluating Adult Rabbits    
Sexing Rabbits    
Evaluating Rabbit Health    


It is suggested you review the following videos and develop your own technique and presentation.


 Good Handling Technique