Hello everyone. We are the showing team of Rachel and Daniel Saunier from Louisville, Ohio. Dan is in the 7th grade and is 13 years old. I am a junior and am 16 years old. We got started in rabbits in 1995 when I got a Satin at our county fair for 4-H. In the fall of 1998 we started to show with Californians and New Zealands under Rachel, then under Daniel were Dutch, Polish, and Florida Whites. It was this fall that our parents said we had to show as a team when we came a little to close to the both of us going up for Best in Show, and it wouldn’t have been a pretty ride home if it had happened.
Since then we’ve been showing as a team and culling the rabbits together. Daniel specializes in the 4 class rabbits we have or had. We’ve had Polish and Florida White and currently have Dutch and Silver Martens. I specialize in our 6 class rabbits. These are currently New Zealands and Californians. At one point in time we had Silver Fox and Satins.
In our five years of showing we have won many state and national awards. In sweepstakes we have won the 1999-2000 and 2000-2001 National New Zealand White Youth Sweepstakes, 1999 and 2000 Ohio State RBA Overall Youth Sweepstakes, 2002-2003 2nd place Overall Youth National Silver Marten Sweepstakes, and 2002 2nd place Overall Youth Ohio Silver Marten Sweepstakes. We have been to four ARBA Conventions and took home a trophy from each. In Louisville, KY and Columbus, OH (1999 and 2000) we had BOS Silver Fox. In Peoria, IL last year we had BOS Silver Marten. This year at Wichita we won 6 of the 7 classes that we entered in Silver Martens and took BOV and BOSV in both blacks and blues. We then won BOB and BOS and “fallowed the yellow brick road” to win our group.
Tuesday was an exciting day for us. We were all very excited going up to the group tables and we could like to congratulate everyone who made it up there. However, only four rabbits could be picked for the groups, and what a rush you get. Somehow throughout this process Daniel managed to stay very calm, I can’t say the same for myself or my mother who was half way up the stands while Daniel and I were sitting up at the front.
We would like to thank Carrol Hooks and John Grimm for their judging and getting us as far as we went. We would also like to thank Greg Rogers for helping with my New Zealand line, culling tips, and overall support form him, his wife Kristi, and sister-in-law Heidi Brown. There is also Fred Harra and wife Vicki for getting me a good start in Californians and their support. Al and Barb Butler for their guidance, help with Dutch, and a huge thanks to Al for making sure we knew what to look for when picking out show stock for convention. Ron Riddle for his help with Silver Martens and keeping me smiling at the shows. Finally, thanks to Jo-Ann Sell. If it wasn’t for her not felling good at a show and asking Daniel to help put her rabbits on the table we wouldn’t even have Silver Martens. She warned Daniel that the on e might bite and it never gave him a problem, not even after she gave us that ornery blue buck named TEX.
Daniel and I have learned for the generosity that some of the open breeders showed us, and Daniel in turn did the same. He sold his 1st place Silver Marten Blue Junior buck to Ryan and RJ Raab for a PENNY in hoping that this might help them and also push us even more on the show table. Strong competition can only improve the breeds.
If you’ve been to an ARBA convention you know how much fun it is, but if you haven’t you don’t know what you’re missing. There are old friends and new faces with the best of all the breeds to see. This is also the only time you may see certain friends, and get to see the new breeds. The banquets and dances are also fun and you get to meet new people and learn new things. I learned how to two-step at the ARBA dance, thanks to Jason.
We did great at the ARBA Convention this year and we have a goal to do better at future conventions. I don’t mean with just the Silver Martens, but with the New Zealands and then the Californians. We also have another goal, I am currently working on my registrar’s licenses and hope to have it by the end of 2003. In two years or so I hope to be working for my judges license and by then Daniel wants to get his registrar’s license.
Best wishes to everyone at the upcoming shows.
Rachel Saunier