Policy Statements

Rabbit show jumping has attracted a considerable amount of media interest in recent years and has brought to the public’s attention the fact that rabbits are intelligent and active, and that they are capable of being trained and having a bond with their owners. These are positive messages that we hope would help to improve the status of the often neglected rabbit, to that of cats and dogs.

However, the RWA&F does have concerns about rabbit show jumping. These include the points raised about stress, travel and biosecurity that are covered in the Showing section above. Also, having seen rabbits perform like this we fear that owners might be tempted to try this for themselves, without allowing the rabbits to become physically accustomed to it first, therefore risking injury.

Sadly, a huge number of pet rabbits live in hutches with no space to exercise, and therefore develop muscular and skeletal problems. There is an obvious danger to strapping a harness on a rabbit in this condition and trying to make it jump over hurdles.

We would urge all owners instead to encourage natural exercise by providing a large secure enclosure with toys and digging places in which the rabbits can display their natural behaviours in a stress-free environment.

There is also a danger that the media interest in show jumping could encourage rabbit sales, and baby rabbits could spend the summer show jumping, and then the next summer be forgotten. There is already a huge problem of rabbits being bought by people who have not considered the long term responsibilities and then, when the novelty has worn off, being abandoned or doomed to a miserable life alone in a hutch. Additionally, rabbits are prey animals and could become extremely stressed in a noisy and busy environment found at a show jumping event, and are not always suited to the travel to and from the event. Owners should ask themselves whether show jumping is for the rabbit, or for the owner. We believe that the welfare of each individual rabbit must be prioritised above the owner’s desire to compete in this manner.

However, any owner who is thinking about trying out show jumping with their rabbits should ensure they themselves are properly trained in how to teach their pet using reward-based training techniques – never just by pulling the harness and dragging the rabbit over the jump, and ensure that if they attend any competitions that there is a quiet resting area where the rabbits can be away from external stress inducing factors.