>From:    Sherri James <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: ferret judging
 
More questions answered in my opinion, not that of any other living
creature or existing or defunct organization.  Perhaps never to be believed
ever again in the future by any rational or irrational being sentient or
not.  Or organization.  Heck it might take millions of chimps with
typewriters ever to concoct this series of characters even hypothetically.
 
>Do LIFE judges look for things differently than AFA judges?
 
This is dangerous territory for me to write about.  Anything I say will be
seen as political.  But it is safe to say that the LIFE color standard
differs from the AFA standard.  As both differ from the standard of the
GLFA and the last remaining independant show - the BFC show.  The score
sheets are different among all the groups.  We'll leave it at having
differences on the sheets cause a difference in what a judge can evaluate
and how much weight specific difference between ferrets means to the
outcome of the judging.
 
>Is a championship show more rigorously judged than other kind of
>shows?
 
Yes in a way.  In my opinion that is good.  Specialty shows give a chance
for less than perfect ferrets to be rewarded for that one thing that they
are best at.  Like the beautifully marked blaze that has a kinked tail.
You can reward the ferret for the blaze alone rather than always consider
it 'not quite good enough' because of a flaw in the joints and bones in the
tail.
 
>What are judges looking for in championships kits for example?
 
The AFA has now split the kits into alters and breeders by whether they
are sexually neutered or still intact.  THey also change from specifically
kits to adolescents.  The thinking was that too often the older ferrets
lose to the ferrets just under a year old when they are at their prime.
And the youngest of kits are too immature to really evaulate anyway - they
are typically gangly from uneven growth.  It also happens to better balance
the size of the classes.
 
But the things looked for in kits/adolescents are the same as looked for in
adult ferrets but the age difference is taken into account.  In particular
knowing that younger ferrets are far more rambunctious than more laid back
adults.  This leads into the next questions.  This response is quite long
so I'll leave more details to another note.
 
>Do judges have a certain ferret prototype in mind when judging?
 
Its rather Platonic.  The idea ferret is visualized.  How far the ferret
being judged varies from the idea is penalied.  How close is rewarded.
But rather than one extremely specific ideal we sort of allow a range.
The head for example should have equal distances from the nose to the eye
and from the eye to the ear, and should be as wide as it is long and as it
is deep.  But there are several ways that a ferret head can look that
matches that standard and they are treated 'the same'.  Okay.  There is
more to it than those few 'measurements' but that's a start.
 
>Does body type make a difference?
 
Yes and no.  Depends upon exactly what you mean.  I persoanlly do not
believe that the common split into bulldog and whippet is accurate.  Whole
males are 'bulldoggy' and neutered males are 'whippetty'.  A whole male
that is more like a whippet is one that is underdeveloped structurally.
 
But there are thinner and stouter ferrets.  Within limits both are
acceptable.  Too short and stout is bad as is too long and thin.  Both
vary from "ideal".
 
bill
--
bill and diane killian
zen and the art of ferrets
http://www.zenferret.com/
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[Posted in FML issue 2897]