Kaninhop
As Kanin-hop refers to a sport in which domestic rabbits (mostly dwarf rabbits ) jump over obstacles, which were set up in any form. The rabbits sometimes wear a harness (chest harness, shoulder harness or Norwegian harness) and are kept on a leash by their owners. There are different types of competition. In Germany, the straight track or the parcours are very common, they can be carried out with a leash and harness or as "free jumping" without a leash. There is also a "point jump", in which the number of obstacles jumped over is counted in a certain time. There are also a few other types of competition that are less often played in tournaments.
High or long jump competitions are very seldom held in Germany. The current records for these disciplines are three meters in length and 106 cm in height. The long jump record was set in Denmark in 1999, the high jump record was set in Sweden in 2014. In Germany, high and long jumps are only permitted under very strict conditions in the ZDRK (Central Association of German Racial Rabbit Breeders) in order to prevent the animals from being overwhelmed.
Course of the competition
At the beginning an obstacle course is set up, this can be similar to the course in show jumping (course jumping ), but the obstacles can also be in a row (straight course). The key difference is that the obstacles are significantly smaller here. Then the rabbits are usually led through the track on a leash, but there is also the "open course" where the animals jump without a leash. The rabbit that completes its route in the shortest time with the fewest mistakes is the winner. The tearing of a crossbar or three slight corrections by the rabbit holder are considered errors. The following applies to the assessment: mistakes ahead of time.
Due to the different abilities of the participating animals, it is common to divide them into different levels of difficulty. In the easy class z. B. eight obstacles that are a maximum of 25 centimeters high can be mastered. For the animals in the highest class, however, there are twelve obstacles with a height of up to 45 centimeters on the program.
In order to take part in a competition, each animal must have a start book, which can be obtained from his rabbit-hop group. In addition to information about the animal and owner, the vaccinations are entered there, as an RHD vaccination is mandatory for participation in the competition. Class exams and competition results can also be entered there.
Almost all German rabbit hop groups are affiliated to a rabbit breeding association of the ZDRK, so for most tournaments you have to be a member of a rabbit breeding association of this association.
Class divisions
Like other sports, Kaninhop is divided into different classes. Each animal must have a corresponding class test in order to participate in a tournament, these tests are entered in a start book. The following classes can be advertised in the straight lane at tournaments:
- Easy class:
- at least 8 obstacles
- Max. Height 25 cm
- at least 180 cm distance between the obstacles
- at least 1 long jump
- Max. 25 cm long
- Intermediate class:
- at least 10 obstacles
- Max. Height 35 cm
- at least 200 cm distance between the obstacles
- at least 2 long jumps
- Max. 40 cm long
- Moat compulsory
- Heavy class:
- at least 10 obstacles
- Max. Height 45 cm
- at least 200 cm distance between the obstacles
- at least 3 long jumps
- Max. 55 cm long
- Moat compulsory
- Elite class:
- at least 12 obstacles
- Max. Height 50 cm
- at least 220 cm distance between the obstacles
- at least 3 long jumps
- Max. 70 cm long
- Moat compulsory
The same information applies to course jumping. Other competitions are, for example, the point jumping, parallel jumping or the usual elimination jumping, in which there are 3 rounds. In each round the obstacles are increased: 25 - 35 - 40 cm.
origin
This sport originated in Sweden around 50 years ago . Swedish rabbit breeders originally only wanted to keep their animals busy with it. At the end of the 1970s, the first Swedish club was founded, which trained its rabbits according to the rules of show jumping. There are now several Kanin-Hop clubs in almost all European countries. This sport is also enjoying increasing popularity in German-speaking countries. In Germany, rabbit hop groups are mostly affiliated with breed rabbit breeding associations in the ZDRK.
The best animals compete in national or European championships.
literature
- Friedel Hillebrecht: Kaninhop. Guide for species-appropriate rabbit sport, full. revised [Ed.], Reutlingen 2009, ISBN 978-3-88627-744-5
- Monika Wegler: My dwarf rabbit , 1st [edition], Munich 2012, ISBN 978-3-8338-3136-2
- Rabbit hop! Photo contest, tips and tricks . With contributions by Kai Sander, Tamara Werner u. Lisa Messerschmidt. Edited by Dr. Ulrike Ritter Verlag, Mering 2015. ISBN 978-3-938791-47-9
- Überflieger (Annual Journal of Kaninhop Sports) Ed. HK Hobby and Small Animal Breeders Verlagsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG
