Best Dressed Bunnies at the Rodeo – Youth Breeding Rabbit and Cavy Costume Contest

Youth Breeding Rabbit exhibitors and their families brought their best dressed rabbits to compete in the Youth Breeding Rabbit Show Costume Contest on Saturday at NRG Arena.

Exhibitors coordinated elaborate costumes to dress themselves and their furry companions in. Pairs dressed as Tortoise and the Hare, Little Red Riding Hood, Top Gun and many more creative duos.

The competition began over 15 years ago, and the initial show had only four entries. It has since taken off and had 36 entries this year. The winning categories included Best Overall, Best Character Impersonation, Most Colorful, Most Elaborate, Funniest and Best Rodeo Theme.

“This competition is meant to be fun and not stressful,” Jennifer Nixon, chairman of the rabbit committee said. “You do not have to have the best quality rabbit to win, it puts everyone back on the same playing field.”

Tough choices had to be made and Jane Lane, 5, and his bunny Elmer Fudd went home with the award Best Overall. He chose to replicate his favorite cartoon, Looney Tunes and played the part perfectly with his brown Carhartt and rabbit season sign. Lane was accompanied by his parents and his sister also competed, winning 2^nd place in Best Rodeo theme with her post office set up.

Focused on his big win and still in character, “Shhh, I’m hunting rabbits,” Lane said.

This was Lane’s first year competing, and he planned to celebrate his big win with ice cream. His mom competed in the same event as a child and wanted to continue the tradition.

“The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo is known for being the show with the biggest heart, a heart as big as Texas, so here we are,” said Nixon.

Unfortunately, there was no official name sheet for any of the participating contestants. The only information provided was contestant numbers due to the high volume of participants.

Category Results

Best Rodeo:

• 3^rd Place: #29 Ketchup and Mustard
• 2^nd Place: #25 Post Office
• 1^st Place: #15 Rodeo Characters

Funniest:

• 3^rd Place: #12 Soup
• 2^nd Place: #8 T-Rex
• 1^st Place: #7 Chef

Most Elaborate:

• 3^rd Place: #20 Porcupine
• 2^nd Place: #16 Tortoise and the Hare
• 1^st Place: #17 Lumberjack

Most Colorful:

• 3^rd Place: #28 Easter Bunny
• 2^nd Place: #1 Rio Movie
• 1^st Place: #30 Up Movie

Best Character Impression:

• 3^rd Place: #6 Jack and the Bean stock
• 2^nd Place: #4 Despicable Me
• 1^st Place: #9 Top Gun

Best Overall:

#27 Elmer Fudd

Learn more about our livestock exhibitors and all our livestock events happening at this year’s Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.