American Rabbit Breeders' Association

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The American Rabbit Breeders' Association (ARBA) is a national club for domestic rabbit and cavy breeders. The ARBA is headquartered in Bloomington, Illinois in the United States. Its membership is composed of rabbit and cavy breeders throughout North America and the world.

The ARBA serves to promote the domestic rabbit and cavy fancy as well as commercial rabbit production. The American Rabbit Breeders Association sets official breed standards for recognized rabbit breeds and cavy breeds. Every five years the ARBA publishes a detailed guide entitled Standard of Perfection. This guide is beneficial to rabbit and cavy (guinea pig) breeders, providing a reference to those interested in understanding the conformation standard for the variety of breeds recognized by the ARBA. Currently (Fall 2006) the ARBA recognizes 47 breeds of rabbit and 16 cavy breeds.

The ARBA also holds rabbit shows throughout the year, all over the country. These shows give rabbit and cavy fanciers the chance to have their animals examined by educated judges and compared to other breeders' animals and the standard. The ARBA holds a huge national convention show once a year, which draws in fanciers from across the country. The 2006 ARBA Convention was held in Ft. Worth, Texas from October 26th through November 2nd. The 2007 ARBA Convention was held in Grand Rapids, Michigan from October 14th through October 18th.

This organization helps all levels of rabbit breeders, including 4-H participants to fanciers, pet owners to commercial producers. The ARBA registration and membership program helps to track and authenticate the quality of the animals exhibited by its members.

[edit] External links