English Angora in Indonesia

Judges Allen and Chris Z went to Indonesia to judge the first ARBA sanctioned rabbit show. We are very honored to have judge Allen guest blogged about his experience with the English Angora there.

BOB EA Show B

Judge Allen and Khy SiQhy, owner of the BOB English Angora.

Judge Allen and the English Angora BOB winner.

Allen says,

"Chris and I judged the 1st ARBA show in Indonesia in late March. It was also the very first ARBA show south of the equator. It was a true honor to be asked, and a great pleasure to work with the breeders there. Everyone was not only kind and generous to us, but also very passionate about their rabbits. As ARBA members, we are all so lucky that they have adopted our standards and parent organization. Many opportunities for the ARBA exist in this region of the world. More shows are sure to follow.

One of the most surprising rabbits to judge were the English Angoras. The colored senior doe class had around 10 entries! The rabbits were beautifully groomed, in good condition, and consistent with many of the same qualities that we embrace here in the USA. Remarkably, none of the rabbits were directly imported or freshly related to any US rabbits. This is starkly different from most of the other breeds at the show. Most rabbits that were exhibited had been directly imported from the US or were early generations from imported rabbits. The English Angora breeders I spoke to had been raising the breed for quite some time. One breeder has around 100 English Angoras!

The English Angoras that were freshest in coat had near similar wool texture to USA English Angoras. The colored doe that I picked BOB was around 8 months old, had a free flowing coat to the skin, and had a silky texture. She was also adorned with dense facial and ear furnishings. While her nose was free of wool, one breed characteristic that was common was complete wool coverage over the nose. There is some disagreement among the breeders in Indonesia regarding nose coverage; some breeders strive for it, while some breeders strongly oppose it. When asked my opinion, I was somewhat uncertain! After all, our ARBA SOP does not address wool on the nose.

The show was a huge success, and the interest in rabbits is there to last. It was refreshing to visit with such energetic people, and very reassuring to see how well maintained and managed the rabbits were. The breeders' intentions are true, and the quality of the animals in the years to come will be consistent with their dedication. "