New Girl Raeanna Debuts Show Career

How do you like me?  I am Raeanna, 6-1/2 months old.    My mom Raelynne and dad Jasabeau are both big show winners.  I hope to follow their steps to do well in shows.

I like treats, I like hugs and I like attention.  I am quite sure I will enjoy showing off my pretty face and ....

.... my pretty butt!

 

Amazing Woven Art

I have been sorting through my old photos to support the NARBC's effort to display historical events at the next convention.   I saw this old photo of myself displaying a woven art that was a part of the prizes for the Best In Show at the 1990 Angora National Show at Ventura, CA.     This woven art piece is made of 100% Angora in a Indian style rabbit pattern.  The colors are black and white.

The other side is exactly the same rabbit pattern but in reversed colors.  It is so well-made, so pretty, to call it art is definitely appropriate.   Who is the artist?  I don't know.   I was so excited by the win and all the wonderful prizes, I did not remember to ask and to thank the artist.  

This beautiful woven art piece has been hanging on our wall for the last 35 years, only recently taken down due to the cleaning of the wall.    The piece is still in perfect shape, no blemish, no discoloration.   

The photos of the two sides are taken just now, you can see all the details.

If you are curious which rabbit received the honor of the Best In Show at the 1990 Angora National, here she is: Chu's Star Jasmine.    Her coat was nice but of course it's not as big as what we see today.  The show was held in the spring of 1990, just a few months after we learned the method of using a blower to groom.  As some may recall the first time the blower appeared in a show was durng the 1989 ARBA convention at Tulsa, OK.     Believe it or not, Star Jasmine won the show less than 4 months after she gave birth to a litter, one of her sons won the white junior buck class.  And by the way, in the 1980s and 1990s, it was not uncommon to have 10-30 English Angora in each class, it is typical to have over 100 in the breed in local shows.  Being an Angora National, there were about 180 English Angoras competing in the breed.

Here is Star Jasmine wearing her "crown" that is a real silver and genuine turquoise bracelet, I still own it and wear it once a while.    The turquoise and Indian style rabbit pattern in the woven art are a consistent theme, the bracelet more than likely was donated by the same person who made the beautiful woven piece.   

 

Yellow Roses with Pink Edges

We are taking a day off from rabbits and old times, let our eyes relax a bit by viewing pictures of pretty yellow roses with pink edges.  These roses are not only beautiful but also smell good.

 

 

Angora Won the Best In Show at the Bradford Show in UK

Judge Jordan Miner attended the Bradford show 2025 earlier this spring.   He is very kind to share some photos about an Angora winning the Best In Show.  The owners' names are "Simon and Richard".

We thank Jordan for sharing these photos and information. 

If you cannot read the content, don't feel so bad, it's in Swedish.

This is the picture used in the magazine published in Sweden.

It seems that it's a tradition to put the winner rabbit in the trophy cup.  
Adele has won Best In Show twice in recent years, one in 2019 and another in 2020, see the following two links.  Both time the rabbit was put into the trophy cup.  

Northern California Angora Guild: Angora Wins Best In Show at the London Championship Show

Northern California Angora Guild: Angora Wins Best In Show at Bradford Premier Livestock Show

There was another Angora that won Best In Show at Bradford in the early 2000s, before our blog started.  Joe Kim had gone to that show and sent me a photo of the white Angora in the trophy cup.   

Monique at 5-1/2 Years Old

French Angora Monique is 5-1/2 years old.   She is an old lady in the show world but she still looks and feels young and pretty and winning over her younger competitors.    Just wish to share some of her stunning photos taken within the last couple of days.

 

Louise Walsh in Recent Years

We have featured Giant Angora presenter Louise Walsh's accomplishments in 1988, what have Louise been doing since then?   

Thirty years after 1988 convention, Louise attended the 2018 convention in Masschuettes, her home state.   With Louise are Dru Shepherd from New Jersey, Debbie McCormick of VA and Betty Chu of CA.  

Louise and Betty were both inducted into the NARBC Hall of Fame after the 2018 convention, Betty in 2020 and Louise in 2022.   Here is a post reporting more about old timers Betty and Louise:
Northern California Angora Guild: Old Timers Louise and Betty at the ARBA Convention in MA

Louise had a huge rabbitry for over 30 years, look at the size of her barn.

She posts a sign next to her farm.

Louise is an artist.

Louise is a spinner.

Louise is a felter.

She had ducklings in her bathtub.

She had Giant Angora in her bed.

She had Giant Angora sitting on her chair.

Most of the Giant Angora activities now goes to Tammy Vaughn of WA, who started her Giant Angora journey with Louise's rabbits and then successfully pushed through the chestnut variety in 2023.   From 1988 to 2023, this is the first time a COD related to Giant Angora reached a fruitation.   Picture taken in the 2023 convention.  

Remember When: The Acceptance of Giant Angora and Presenter Louise Walsh

In the 1980s, three groups of breeders imported white Angoras from Germany: Dr. Terry Reed who was the ARBA president at the time, judge Bob Herschbach of CA who imported the Angoras for his daughter Dorothy Ames,  plus Louise Walsh and Leslie Samson.   Of those who imported, Louise Walsh took on the task of COD, trying to get it accepted by ARBA.   In Germany as well as in other parts of Europe, there was no distinction of English or French or ??? Angoras, just Angora.   Since these white Angoras were imported from Germany and that there were the English Angora and the French Angora, it was instinctive to call these imports the German Angora.   The powers at ARBA objected to the name of German Angora, and also at the time the English Angora and French Angora white variety did not look that much different from those imported white Angoras, the powers at ARBA wanted the "German Angora" to be a bigger breed and to have a different name.  For a while when Louise was doing the COD, the name was the "Commercial Angora".   At the 1987 convention during the NARBC membership meeting of which I attended, there were strong objections from the French Angora breeders to the "Commercial" designation as the French Angora breeders felt at the time their breed was also very commercial.   If I recall it right Leslie Samson object to not using the German Angora name and dropped out of the ARBA/NARBC world then started her own club for German Angoras.    After much back and forth during the meeting, someone suggested "Giant Angora".   What a light-bulb moment, a larger breed to be different from the English Angora and the French Angora, and keep the alphabet G!   I recall this "someone" was Candy Haenszel but Candy could not recall whether she did or she did not make that suggestion.  Whether she did or did not, the name "Giant Angora" was accepted by the powers at ARBA. 

This photo was taken either in 1987 or 1988, from Candy Haenszel's album.  As you notice, at the top it says "Commercial/Giant Angora presentation".    Louise Walsh is seen inside the Standard Committee judging area next to her presentation rabbits.  

This photo is from Louise Walsh's album, a member of the Standard Committee is weighing the presentation rabbit.   The judge on the left looks like Dr. Terry Reed.

Another Giant Angora being weighed, from Louise Walsh's album.

From Louise's album, this photo shows Louise inside the Standard Committee listening to the results.  On the right is judge Fred Cremer of CA, would you believe his judge's number was 21?   The new judges today have their license with 4 digits.  Between Fred and Louise is judge Fibber McGehee of OK, Fibber had put on two ARBA conventions, one in 1989 and another in 1994.  He was one of the most frequent winners of convention Best In Show with his  New Zealand (1973, 1978, 1980) and Florida White (1999); he also had a Group win with his Mini Rex in 2000.   If you notice, the current convention Best In Show prepetual trophy is called "The Fibber Cup", that's him!

Louise Walsh in the middle accepting congratulations.   At the left corner is judge Karen Waliser now Karen Lovett of WA. 

A success! Happy Louise.  Photo credit Candy Haenszel.

Two of the presentation Giant Angorasin their convention coop.

Louise resides in Masschuettes, active in her area rabbit activities until very recently.  Due to health reason, she does not keep rabbits anymore.  However her rabbits' genes are widely spread around the country, mostly notably is Tammy Vaughn who started her rabbit journey with Louise's stock.  Tammy is accomplished in her own right in successfuly presenting the Chestnut Giant Angora in 2023.  From 1988 to 2023, it took many breeders and many failures to get to Tammy who puts the color into the Giant Angora.