Last Updated on 5/1/14
This is Jill's/Cotter's Sober winning her first Leg for BOS as a junior under judge Theresa Christen.
The "dream team"
As of December 2013, Jill Schmitt of Tri-Poli Rabbitry and Jessica Cotter of JJ's Cotter Tails have joined their herds together and will be showing as a team in open competition. Check out our Polish page for more info, and watch the tables for Jill's/Cotter's Polish in 2014...
Jill's Jitterbug wins BIS/BOB at the 2013 Rhinelander National Show!
Thank you to judge Bob Koch who selected Jitterbug for BOB. She also swept the black sr. doe class that same weekend, winning a total of 2 BOB and 1 BOS!
I am now an official ARBA licensed Registrar! Thank you so much to the people who helped me get there, including Madelyn Beckstrom, Theresa Christen, Josh Humphries, and Wade Burkhalter for allowing me to work with them, and to all of the ARBA members in WI who signed my application!
Welcome to the Rabbitry!
Tri-Poli Rabbitry is owned and operated by Jill Schmitt, with the help of her family, in the beautiful kettle moraine area of southeastern Wisconsin. We focus exclusively on raising show quality Rhinelander and Polish rabbits, and have been breeding rabbits for the past 8 years. We keep our rabbitry small, between 30-50 animals.
I got started with raising rabbits when I was in 8th grade after joining the 4-H rabbit project. My first few rabbits were crossbreds and pet quality rabbits acquired from friends. The first purebred rabbits that I bought were a blue Polish buck named "Mouse" and a black Polish doe named "Pixie" from my friend Katelyn. I attended my first ARBA show after I purchased the Polish pair, and to my surprise, Mouse won his first grand champion leg. I was immediately hooked on the hobby. After seeing all of the breeds, I decided to add Rhinelanders to my herd as well, and my friend arranged for me to get my first Rhinelander "Buster" from Marty Adams.
Since then, I have had many breeds in my herd, including Mini Rex, Tans, Satins, Californians, Mini Lops, a Silver Marten, and a Dwarf Hotot. Despite all of these, I currently focus on breeding Polish (Black Broken, and BEW) and Rhinelanders (Black and Blue).
Throughout my time with raising rabbits, I have had the opportunity to attend 7 ARBA Conventions, 4 Polish breed national specialties, and 1 Rhinelander breed national specialty. While exhibiting in youth, I also participated in many youth contests. I was crowned the Wisconsin State Rabbit Breeder's Association Queen in 2006. I also represented Wisconsin on several national Judging and Breed ID teams. In 2006 I was on the 1st place senior judging team in Fort Worth, TX, and in 2007 I was a member of the third place senior Breed ID team in Grand Rapids, MI. I have also won multiple awards in showmanship, culminating with the title of supreme showman at the 2009 Wisconsin State Fair, which was my last showmanship competition. I have also won grand champion in the Breed ID contest at the state fair three times, and reserve champion once between 2006 and 2009.
I am currently a licensed fair judge in Wisconsin, and have judged several fairs and fun shows in the past 2 years. I look forward to judging more in the future, and expanding my knowledge of rabbits even more. I have earned my Registrar's license in the summer of 2012, with the intention of becoming an ARBA judge in the future. Working with 4-H youth is also important to me, as I am currently a rabbit leader in the Washington County 4-H program. At this time, I am a graduate of the University of Wisconsin- River Falls with a Bachelor of Science degree in Animal Science with a meat animal emphasis, as well as a minor in art. I hope to eventually attend graduate school to pursue a Master's degree or PhD in animal breeding and genetics. Breeding rabbits has greatly influenced what I chose to do with my education.
I am still in search of that elusive Best in Show award, but I hope to one day win with a home-bred animal. In the meantime, I will continue to breed to the standard, and strive to produce consistent, high-quality animals. Raising rabbits has been one of the best things to happen to my life, and I hope that my passion for it can continue into my future, and that I can help other breeders with their rabbit needs as well.
Club Memberships:
American Rabbit Breeder's Association (ARBA)
Wisconsin State Rabbit Breeder's Association (WSRBA)- currently serving as a Director
Rhinelander Rabbit Club of America (RRCA) - currently serving as a Director
Midwest Rhinelander Rabbit Club (MRRC)- currently serving as the Vice President
American Polish Rabbit Club (APRC)
Wisconsin Polish Rabbit Club (WPRC) - currently serving as the President
I got started with raising rabbits when I was in 8th grade after joining the 4-H rabbit project. My first few rabbits were crossbreds and pet quality rabbits acquired from friends. The first purebred rabbits that I bought were a blue Polish buck named "Mouse" and a black Polish doe named "Pixie" from my friend Katelyn. I attended my first ARBA show after I purchased the Polish pair, and to my surprise, Mouse won his first grand champion leg. I was immediately hooked on the hobby. After seeing all of the breeds, I decided to add Rhinelanders to my herd as well, and my friend arranged for me to get my first Rhinelander "Buster" from Marty Adams.
Since then, I have had many breeds in my herd, including Mini Rex, Tans, Satins, Californians, Mini Lops, a Silver Marten, and a Dwarf Hotot. Despite all of these, I currently focus on breeding Polish (Black Broken, and BEW) and Rhinelanders (Black and Blue).
Throughout my time with raising rabbits, I have had the opportunity to attend 7 ARBA Conventions, 4 Polish breed national specialties, and 1 Rhinelander breed national specialty. While exhibiting in youth, I also participated in many youth contests. I was crowned the Wisconsin State Rabbit Breeder's Association Queen in 2006. I also represented Wisconsin on several national Judging and Breed ID teams. In 2006 I was on the 1st place senior judging team in Fort Worth, TX, and in 2007 I was a member of the third place senior Breed ID team in Grand Rapids, MI. I have also won multiple awards in showmanship, culminating with the title of supreme showman at the 2009 Wisconsin State Fair, which was my last showmanship competition. I have also won grand champion in the Breed ID contest at the state fair three times, and reserve champion once between 2006 and 2009.
I am currently a licensed fair judge in Wisconsin, and have judged several fairs and fun shows in the past 2 years. I look forward to judging more in the future, and expanding my knowledge of rabbits even more. I have earned my Registrar's license in the summer of 2012, with the intention of becoming an ARBA judge in the future. Working with 4-H youth is also important to me, as I am currently a rabbit leader in the Washington County 4-H program. At this time, I am a graduate of the University of Wisconsin- River Falls with a Bachelor of Science degree in Animal Science with a meat animal emphasis, as well as a minor in art. I hope to eventually attend graduate school to pursue a Master's degree or PhD in animal breeding and genetics. Breeding rabbits has greatly influenced what I chose to do with my education.
I am still in search of that elusive Best in Show award, but I hope to one day win with a home-bred animal. In the meantime, I will continue to breed to the standard, and strive to produce consistent, high-quality animals. Raising rabbits has been one of the best things to happen to my life, and I hope that my passion for it can continue into my future, and that I can help other breeders with their rabbit needs as well.
Club Memberships:
American Rabbit Breeder's Association (ARBA)
Wisconsin State Rabbit Breeder's Association (WSRBA)- currently serving as a Director
Rhinelander Rabbit Club of America (RRCA) - currently serving as a Director
Midwest Rhinelander Rabbit Club (MRRC)- currently serving as the Vice President
American Polish Rabbit Club (APRC)
Wisconsin Polish Rabbit Club (WPRC) - currently serving as the President
Upcoming Shows I Plan on Attending: (click for show catalog)
2/9/14- Lakeland RBA- Elkhorn, WI
3/8/14- WPRC Specialty- Jefferson, WI
3/9/14- Badger RBA- Jefferson, WI
3/29/14- Rhinelander National Show- Mason, MI (tentative)
4/5/14- Polish National Show- Lafayette, IN
4/27/14- Central WI RBA- Marshfield, WI
3/8/14- WPRC Specialty- Jefferson, WI
3/9/14- Badger RBA- Jefferson, WI
3/29/14- Rhinelander National Show- Mason, MI (tentative)
4/5/14- Polish National Show- Lafayette, IN
4/27/14- Central WI RBA- Marshfield, WI
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We feed exclusively Purina Rabbit Chow show formula