Show (animal)
Encyclopedia
Hobby
A hobby is a regular activity or interest that is undertaken for pleasure, typically done during one's leisure time.- Etymology :A hobby horse is a wooden or wickerwork toy made to be ridden just like a real horse...
of animal fancy
Animal fancy
Animal fancy is a hobby involving the appreciation, promotion, or breeding of pet or domestic animals.Fancy may include ownership, showing, trialling and other competitions, breeding and judging. Hobbyists may simply collect specimens of the animal in appropriate enclosures, such as aquaria and...
or in the occupation of animal husbandry
Animal husbandry
Animal husbandry is the agricultural practice of breeding and raising livestock.- History :Animal husbandry has been practiced for thousands of years, since the first domestication of animals....
.
Shows usually feature the best specimens of purebred
Purebred
Purebreds, also called purebreeds, are cultivated varieties or cultivars of an animal species, achieved through the process of selective breeding...
animals in a locality or country. Prestigious shows or those with large purses (prize money) to be won may attract exhibitors from around the world.
In some cases, particularly for horses and dogs, animals may be evaluated in various forms of competition to a performance standard, regardless of breed
Breed
A breed is a group of domestic animals or plants with a homogeneous appearance, behavior, and other characteristics that distinguish it from other animals or plants of the same species. Despite the centrality of the idea of "breeds" to animal husbandry, there is no scientifically accepted...
status. Extensive animal training
Animal training
Animal training refers to teaching animals specific responses to specific conditions or stimuli. Training may be for the purpose of companionship, detection, protection, entertainment or all of the above....
is usually required prior to competition.
Typically, shows are an opportunity for breeder
Breeder
A breeder is a person who practices the vocation of mating carefully selected specimens of the same breed to reproduce specific, consistently replicable qualities and characteristics....
s to feature their best breeding stock
Selective breeding
Selective breeding is the process of breeding plants and animals for particular genetic traits. Typically, strains that are selectively bred are domesticated, and the breeding is sometimes done by a professional breeder. Bred animals are known as breeds, while bred plants are known as varieties,...
, so animals in a show are often entire
Entire (animal)
In animal fancy and animal husbandry, entire indicates an animal has not been desexed, i.e., spayed or neutered ....
, that is, the animal has not been spayed or neutered. There are exceptions. Castrated
Castration
Castration is any action, surgical, chemical, or otherwise, by which a male loses the functions of the testicles or a female loses the functions of the ovaries.-Humans:...
animals are seen in competitions such as those for horses that evaluate athletic performance, or in shows for livestock
Livestock
Livestock refers to one or more domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to produce commodities such as food, fiber and labor. The term "livestock" as used in this article does not include poultry or farmed fish; however the inclusion of these, especially poultry, within the meaning...
such as beef cattle that evaluate the "fitting" and quality of an animal intended for meat.
When evaluated on conformation and suitability as breeding stock, animals are first judged within narrow groups categorized by age and sex. The term "Champion" is given in some competitions to the best animal of each sex, sometimes with a "Junior Champion" award given in classes for juvenile animals. (In other cases, the title "Champion" is only bestowed upon animals winning multiple competitions or at specific high-level competitions). Animals of both sexes may compete for the title of Best of Breed
Best of Breed
Best of Breed is the title given to the dog who has been judged the best representative specimen of its breed at a conformation show.Dogs compete in a hierarchical fashion at each show, where winners at lower levels are gradually combined to narrow the winners until the final round, where Best in...
, a distinction which can add significant value to a breeder's lines. The top prize in a show, when the Best of Breed winners are judged against one another, is usually titled Best in Show
Best in Show
Best in Show may refer to:* Best in Show , a 2000 film* Best in Show , a 2005 album by Grinspoon* The Best in Show award or the Best in Show competition in conformation dog shows** Best in Show winners of Crufts...
, Best (or Supreme) Exhibit in Show, or Supreme Champion. In performance shows, the highest-placing animals in a given category of competition are often given the title "Champion." The term "Champion" is also used for the highest-placing animals in livestock competition when different breeds do not compete against one another.
Some shows are designated as "All-breed" events, open to multiple breeds of the given animal. Others shows may be breed show
Breed show
A breed show is a broad term for exhibitions designed to showcase a single animal breed. In most cases, only purebred animals recorded with a breed registry are eligible to enter and compete. A judge or team of judges will evaluate individual animals both in terms of the correct conformation for...
s, limited to one or only a few specific breed
Breed
A breed is a group of domestic animals or plants with a homogeneous appearance, behavior, and other characteristics that distinguish it from other animals or plants of the same species. Despite the centrality of the idea of "breeds" to animal husbandry, there is no scientifically accepted...
s of a given animal.
Animals typically "shown" include:
- budgerigarBudgerigarThe Budgerigar , also known as Common Pet Parakeet or Shell Parakeet informally nicknamed the budgie, is a small, long-tailed, seed-eating parrot, and the only species in the Australian genus Melopsittacus...
s - catShow catA show cat is one that has been judged to be close to the physical ideal for its breed standard at a cat show...
s - cattleCattleCattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
- dogShow dogA show dog might refer to any dog entered into a dog show. More specifically, a show dog is a dog which has been specially bred, trained, and/or groomed to conform to the specifications of dog shows, so as to have a chance of winning...
s - guinea pigGuinea pigThe guinea pig , also called the cavy, is a species of rodent belonging to the family Caviidae and the genus Cavia. Despite their common name, these animals are not in the pig family, nor are they from Guinea...
s (often called "cavies" when show animals) - horseHorseThe horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
s - miceFancy mouseFancy mice are domesticated breeds of the common or house mouse . The terms fancy and "feeder mice" are often used interchangeably by retailers, and are in fact the same variety of mouse....
- poultryPoultryPoultry are domesticated birds kept by humans for the purpose of producing eggs, meat, and/or feathers. These most typically are members of the superorder Galloanserae , especially the order Galliformes and the family Anatidae , commonly known as "waterfowl"...
- rabbitRabbitRabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae of the order Lagomorpha, found in several parts of the world...
s - ratFancy ratThe fancy rat is a domesticated brown rat , which is the most common type of pet rat. The name fancy rat derives from the idea of animal fancy or the phrase "to fancy" ....
s - sheep
- swine
See also
- Agricultural showAgricultural showAn agricultural show is a public event showcasing the equipment, animals, sports and recreation associated with agriculture and animal husbandry. The largest comprise a livestock show , a trade fair, competitions, and entertainment...
- Cat showCat showA cat show is a judged event where the owners of cats compete to win titles in various cat registering organizations by entering their cats to be judged after a breed standard. Both pedigreed and companion cats are admissible, although the rules differ from organization to organization...
- Conformation showConformation showConformation shows, also referred to as breed shows, are a kind of dog show in which a judge familiar with a specific dog breed evaluates individual purebred dogs for how well the dogs conform to the established breed type for their breed, as described in a breed's individual breed standard.A...
(dogs) - Horse showHorse showA Horse show is a judged exhibition of horses and ponies. Many different horse breeds and equestrian disciplines hold competitions worldwide, from local to the international levels. Most horse shows run from one to three days, sometimes longer for major, all-breed events or national and...
- Livestock showLivestock showA livestock show is an event where livestock are exhibited and judged on certain phenotypical breed traits as specified by their respective breed standard. Species of livestock that may be shown include pigs, cattle, sheep, goats, horses, llamas and alpacas. Poultry such as chickens, geese, ducks,...