All agility equipment must be built sturdy and safe for the normal use of how the equipment was designed to function. The agility equipment must be made the appropriate size for rabbits and be painted or treated in a way that it can be easily cleaned between runs if necessary. Wood items must be painted or shellacked so that if a rabbit were to urinate or defecate on it it could easily and quickly be cleaned between contestants. Make sure all items are sanded so that there are no sharp edges. Natural wood (including bark) may be used to design Rabbit Agility Equipment it must be sprayed or painted with varnish or shellac.

There are so many fun pieces of rabbit equipment these days. Each piece has been adapted from dog agility, and dog agility ideas started with Steeple Chase or Show Jumping or in fact Showjumping....a horse sport where all other animal species agility originated. The horses jump Fence Jumps, jumps set up to look like beautiful fences you might see in the open county. This is why many folks call all animal agility equipment "fences".

At some events the equipment may be of different sizes. Because of the differences in rabbit breed sizes, some events may divide the groups into separate classes with different sized (and maybe even different types) of agility equipment. It just depends on where you play.

Each event you attend may have different types and sizes of equipment for the rabbit competitors then another event. Not only are the standards still far and few between, availability to equipment is also a factor. Most clubs are building their own equipment with their own ideas.

Agility equipment is to be set up within a barrier or fencing. The entire agility course should be fenced with some type of barrier that will hold any and all breeds of rabbits. ie Small enough webbing for the smallest of breeds and high enough that the largest of breeds can not climb or jump it. If there is no fencing, each rabbit should be worked on harness on leash.

Many of the pieces of rabbit agility equipment have been designed for the rabbit to crawl or climb on (window jump, balance beams, tire jump, to name a few). All of the agility equipment pieces and especially the types the rabbit's will crawl or climb on need to be sturdy enough to hold a large rabbits body weight. Please make sure that the equipment you build and or buy will NOT tip over as your rabbit tries to manipulate it.

The following agility equipment sizes are set up for small to large rabbits. You might want to adjust sizing for specific breeds or if you will be running size based classes at your event. We recommend construction all equipment out of materials that can be wiped clean.

You will need a hoop that is 10" to 18" in diameter and approx 1" thick. It can be made of wood, plastic or fabric. However, if it is made of fabric there will need to be four (4) exact replacement hoops for competition in case one or more rabbits urinate on the fabric.

The frame holding the hoop can also be made of wood or plastic. All wood items must be painted or shellacked. The frame will be " X " and made to be sturdy and very balanced so that it will continue to stand even if "hit" by the rabbit as the rabbit comes thru the hoop.

The Hoop Jump in this photo we call our "Alien Jump". Deron made this for our smaller dogs, but Rabbits and Cats have used it too. He added the 'arms' to give it some pizazz out on the Agility Course.

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The Teeter Totter is a smaller type of Sea Saw with a lower fulcrum than that of a Sea Saw.

The top board used for Rabbit Agility should be approx. 9" X 30" and it should pivot on a round piece of PVC or couplings that is 2"-4" in diameter and 9 1/2" long. The top board is secured to the PVC by first gluing then tacking with small tacks from the board side down. Paint with non toxic water proof paint and decorate if desired.

The Teeter Totter shown in this photo is 6 1/2" x 46". This size will accommodate all breeds of rabbits.

The Sea Saw is a piece of animal agility equipment that is taller than the Teeter Totter and the plank is longer to accommodate the pivot so that is does not jar or become too much of a drop for the rabbit.

The fulcrum, or pivot mechanism is larger on a Seasaw than the pivot on a Teeter Totter.

A Sea Saw is NOT recommended for Rabbit Agility. While it could be used, a Teeter Totter with a lower walk board is safer for rabbits.

An Open Tunnel can be made of plastic, fabric over plastic or PVC piping. The size must remain consisting throughout the entire tube. For an Open Tunnel there should be no collapsible parts.

If fabric Tunnels are used there shall be four (4) exact replacements on hand during competition. These would need to be replaced if a rabbit urinated inside of the Tunnel.

The opening must be a minimum of 8" and maximum of 18". It should be approx. 18" - 50" in length. The outside may be decorated if desired.

The Open Tunnel pictured has a 12" diameter opening and the Tunnel is 17" long.

A Closed Tunnel can be made of fabric, tarp or "quiet" plastic, but it must be washable. A piece of tarp is recommended. If a fabric closed tunnel is used in competition there must be at least four (4) exact closed tunnels available for the rabbits to use. If rabbits soil one another can be used.

A Closed Tunnel must have a "stiff" opening that is 8" to 12" in diameter with a minimum of an 18" "drape" that is one piece that flows out from the opening.

The drape can be sewed or taped but must be made into one piece, and have no openings within so that the rabbit could slip out of the Tunnel in any other way than the opening at the draped end.

There are five weave polls that are set in a foundation board for stability for indoor use. The polls are a minimum of 12" tall and are set approx 18" apart. Wooden dowels are suggested for the use of weave polls. Weave Polls may be pushed into the ground for outdoor use, however the minimum of 12" must still be present out of the ground. 18" or long polls are recommended for outdoor use.

A wheel barrel tire or small vehicle tire on a standing wood or plastic frame.

The frame can be made of wood, plastic or fabric. However, if it is made of fabric there will need to be four (4) exact replacement hoops for competition in case one or more rabbits urinate on the fabric.

The frame holding the hoop can also be made of wood or plastic. All wood items must be painted or shellacked. The frame will be " X " and made to be sturdy and very balanced so that it will continue to stand even if "hit" by the rabbit as the rabbit comes thru the hoop.

An A-Frame is made out of two pieces of wood, 12" wide x 24"tall each. The two pieces of wood are hinged together so that the angle can change and there is a chain that will make the X on the A that will adjust the angle of the piece.

The Balance Beam shall be approx 10" tall. The top parallel panel shall be 10" wide with a minimum of 18" long walking board. The ramps are set at 30 degrees and must have grip for the rabbit to have traction. Grip can be sand painted, strips of plastic with ridges or slats of wood placed approx 6" to 8" apart.

Bar Jumps are wonderful. You can have one or two or more on your course. this one is made from PVC piping. It is 16" tall at the highest rung. The jump is approx. 30" wide. The entire jump is made with PVC, it has cups for the top rungs/bars to sit in.

This particular jump (has been) and can be used for rabbits, dogs, goats, cats and/or other species.

Long Jumps have become an important piece of Rabbit Agility Equipment. Rabbit love to Jump and have amazing abilities for it.

A Long Jump can be made in so many different ways, and sizes. But each one should be made a minimum width of 30".

more to come

This is a fun piece for the rabbits and a cute piece for the spectators. Mine is a bit different and believe it or not we found this on the side of the highway...my husband thought I was kidding when I told him to turn around. I like this one because it does not have the slats that may or may not be hazardous to the rabbits feet. It also has the sides that will keep the rabbit from going off this piece sideways. Yeah, I know....it needs painting.

Most bridges for rabbit agility could also be used or started out as a lawn ornament. If you buy or use a lawn ornament just make sure that the slats on the bridge are spaced 1/2" or less so that the rabbits foot does not get caught between the slats as it runs over the cute little agility piece.

The pause table should be 6" tall and the table top should be 12" X 18". The legs should be set to give the table the utmost stability. A wooden box without a bottom is highly recommended with 6" tall sides. All wood must be painted or shellacked. Decorate if desired.

A Pause Box could also be used. But the Pause Table is preferred. The course could have both if the Host Club desired.

A Pause Box is a marking on the ground for the rabbit to stop and break inside of.

Painted Wood or preferably PVC Piping could be used for construction. The Pause Box is square and should be 18" minimum with 24" being a target size. The PVC Piping or the Wood should be approx 2" in height from the ground and White or Bight Yellow for visibility.

The Window Jump is a three piece wood item. The wood for the window to be cut out of is The hole for the rabbits to go through is 6" from the bottom and 4" from each side. The hole itself is a 10" diameter hole. On each side of the window a piece of wood cut to and glued and/or nailed to the window so that they are centered and will steady the window for the rabbit to climb, hop or jump through without knocking the piece over.

This clever Double Sided Window Jump is the brain child of Sally Betts. The stand holds the window piece firmly in place, but it is set in place so that it can be taken out of the slots and turned over. One side of the board has the window higher then the other side. You can choose the side you want to use for your rabbits. The slot construction also makes this a break down jump for storage.

The Cross Jump is exactly what it sounds like. A jump that has two bars that cross over one another so that there is an "X" in the middle where the rabbit jumps over the jump.

Traffic Cones can be used for Weave Polls, they can hold bars for Jumps, they can be used for boundaries (for people) and if you are clever and keep it safe and stable, Traffic Cones can be used for a lot on an Agility Course.

BUT NEVER, EVER, NEVER, STEAL TRAFFIC CONES FROM ROADWAYS! NOT EVEN IF THEY LOOK ABANDONED.

YOU ALONE ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR STABLE, SAFE, STUDY EQUIPMENT FOR THE SIZE OF YOUR RABBIT. MAKE SURE YOU TEST ANY AGILITY EQUIPMENT BEFORE ASKING YOUR RABBIT TO USE IT. WATCH YOUR LEASH WHEN WORKING YOUR RABBIT ON EQUIPMENT SO THAT THE LEASH DOES NOT GET TANGLE IN AND PULL OVER AGILITY PIECES. INTRODUCE YOUR RABBIT TO THE PIECE SLOWLY...DON'T EXPECT THE RABBIT TO BE ABLE TO TELL THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A JUMP AND AN A FRAME. WHEN IN DOUBT, USE CAUTION AND GO SLOW.

IF YOU ARE COMPETING, PLEASE WALK THE COURSE BEFORE THE COMPETITION BEGINS AND CHECK TO SEE IF EACH PIECE IS UP TO YOUR STANDARDS FOR YOUR RABBIT TO RUN ON. YOUR RABBIT DEPENDS ON YOU FOR IT'S HEALTH AND SAFETY.

[center]Marna Kazmaier - marna@rabbitagility.com

Please visit often as this site, as well as www.theagilerat.com and www.marnasmenagerie.com, all are STILL UNDER construction as we add to them through the years when we train new animals and build new equipment. Thanks for your visit!