BUTLER TWP — Olivia Blatt's rabbit Silvermist leaped into statewide stardom this month at the 2017 Pennsylvania Farm Show in Harrisburg.

Olivia, 12, of Butler Township trains rabbits to hop. Silvermist is a 1½-year-old competitor.

“It's a lot harder than it sounds,” said Olivia's mother, Jess Blatt.

Think show-horse jumping on a miniature scale but with the same amount of preparation.

“I bought the harness for Silvermist last February,” said Olivia.

“She's been training Silvermist for a year,” her mother said. “Their first competition was in April.”

And the training paid off.

Sally Turner, organizer for the Pennsylvania Farm Show's Celebrity Rabbit Hopping Event staged Jan. 10, selected Olivia and Silvermist, to participate in the competition.

“Sally sees how the rabbits perform throughout the year and picks kids who best represent the sport,” Jess Blatt said. “She said (Olivia) was one of the few who correctly held her leash and was patient with her rabbit.”

“This is the fourth year for Celebrity Rabbit Hopping at the Farm Show,” Sally Turner said. “It started when rabbit hopping became an official sport accepted by the American Rabbit Breeders Association in 2013.”

For the event, handlers and their rabbits were randomly paired with one of seven Pennsylvania celebrities. Each celebrity, assisted by the handler, then ran the rabbit through the course twice.

Olivia was paired with Harrisburg Fox 43 news anchor Amy Lutz. The duo placed fourth in the event.

“Scoring goes by faults first, then time,” Turner said. “A fault would be knocking a rail or jump over or going off course, so the rabbit that jumps the fastest with the least number of faults wins.”

But rabbit hopping is not just about competing.

“It's a great community,” Jess Blatt said. “Olivia could become a judge or a rabbit breeder.”

That community includes a variety of organizations including 4-H, where Olivia got her start.

“She did a dog book project with them, but she wanted to do more,” Jess Blatt said. “We were originally going to try working with goats.”

“I have a whole spiel about 4-H — it's fantastic,” said Jess Blatt. “It helps kids meet other kids with similar interests and teaches responsibility and confidence.”

Through 4-H, Olivia fostered her interest in rabbit hopping into devotion.

“She started with a broom flat on the ground,” Jess Blatt said. “When the rabbit walked over it Olivia would say, 'Over!' to get the idea across.”

“Then we started raising the broom with Legos,” said Olivia.

“Silvermist would wear the harness while Olivia worked with her — like leash training,” Jess Blatt said.

Hop by hop, the rabbit caught on until the trick looked simple.

Olivia leveled her hand a few feet off the ground.

“They can jump pretty high,” she said.

A member of various 4-H programs, including the Butler Bunny Bunch, Olivia plans to continue training and breeding.

Olivia shows and trains goats, horses, lambs and dogs, along with her rabbits.

“Rabbits are best,” she said, with Silvermist nuzzled in her arms. “They don't fight back.”