I recall that multiple minority riders stated that they had competed at that location and had never once felt it had racist connotations and that the entire thing was blown out of proportion by people on a crusade. Even your accusations have moved straight to calling everyone who doesn’t agree with you a racist.
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From the Latin “fasces”, which is also the source of “fascist”
I love that you think that “multiple minority riders” who said it “didn’t offend them” naturally means the concept isn’t racist.
I’m sure there are a few people who aren’t offended by someone saying something deragatory toward them… like calling someone a “fag”… but that doesn’t make it okay to say to everyone when its connotation is insulting and degrading.
No one thinks of a plantation as a tree farm. Only those who believe it doesn’t affect them personally use the argument that its secondary definition is the only one we should be thinking about.
The fact that there are and will always be underlying racial tensions when one side simply cannot (or in most cases, refuses to because it makes them uncomfortable) see from the point of view of the minority. Your defense of the landowner makes it clear you only see it from the perspective of someone who hasn’t experienced racism.
For example, you are the type of person who wants us to think about the property’s history instead of the name. Which is ironic, because if you really, truly cared about the history, you’d realize the land was stolen from Native Americans. You know, minorities. 
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Sorry, my mistake. But regardless of the country, calling someone either of those words is not a compliment.
Here “gypsy” is a common use word that is typically used to mean “free spirited” or “wanderer” - certainly never used with any malicious context. “Gypsy horse” is a registered breed name here. Kids clothing companies bearing the word gypsy are numerous. But I was slammed online because apparently, the “g word” is the new “n word”.
So I asked it they would kindly stop referring to raccoons as “coons” and rename “coonhounds” because the word “coon” IS our “n word”. That didn’t go down well, apparently their offence to the word gypsy trumped all others.
So yes, geographical location does make a difference. A plantation here is a tree plantation.
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I am stating that someone who named their property (where no slaves ever lived) after a stand of trees because again, plantation has different meaning depending on geographical location, and was suddenly called a racist. Instead of approaching the owner quietly with great understanding that he never had racist undertones in mind when he named his property and asking him if he’d consider a name change as some people found it offensive people went in guns blazing. Perhaps had the entire situation been approached differently the result would have been different.
I do not understand what land theft from Native Americans has to do with this argument? Or why you are accusing me of not being aware of the history? You have no idea what type of person I am.
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Eons ago, in boarding school at the beginning of the first year, I witnessed a guy being horribly taken aback when an Australian student said to him, “want a fag?”
He was offering the guy a cigarette but it was an awkward moment. I knew enough about the colloquial use of fag to know he meant cigarette, not that it was such a leap since he and I were having a smoke… It worked out OK because the guy, although startled, didn’t freak out without first trying to clarify.
And just like that a very interesting thread about loss of venues and events went political. Sheesh.
On an indirect yet parallel experience, at one of my first shows, a schooling dressage show that benefit the special needs riding facility, I approached the show organizer, shook her hand and thanked her for hosting and providing such a well run, enjoyable time. Her eyes became saucers.
She said no one had ever thanked her for hosting the show before.
And that is what’s wrong with much of the world. A lack of gratitude.
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We never got the full backstory on how it was approached. People jumped to conclusions and thought that he was ambushed when it sounds like they asked him and USEA quietly. The landowner and organiser are both old white men who have their heads up their own asses and don’t like their little insular worlds challenged.
I’m trying to say that if you (and the other people who use the name/history argument) cared so much about history and naming conventions, they should be arguing that the land should be called by its indigenous name. I live in Australia, where they make an effort to use the Aboriginal names for towns and places, as well as making an effort to make a recognition statement before any event held on the land. I highly doubt the landowner would even consider doing that.
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I live in Australia too, in a community with a very high population of Indigenous folks and within stones throw of many Northern communities. Not many places that are known by European names have been renamed the “traditional” name, with the well-known exception of Ayers Rock / Uluru. Most people still call Fraser Is by its European name. Traditional names are acknowledged but actually renaming the place is rare. Probably because a) different groups have different names for different landmarks / areas, and b) no one can actually pronounce most of the names.
As for the owner of the land being “an old white guy with his head up his ass”… didn’t know it was a crime to be old, white, and male, and generous enough to play host to a bunch of horse people year after year. Do you know this man personally enough to definitely state this about him, about his reasons for not renaming Plantation, about his dispute with EN?
And before you throw down and accuse me of being out of touch with our Indigenous issues… I grew up in community. I speak more Wik / Pigin / kreole than some of the young fullas do.
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I have heard enough about him (and the organizer) to say that with confidence, yes. I’d swear on it. Just because he is “generous enough to play host” to horse trials doesn’t excuse him from throwing a toddler temper tantrum.
Never at any point did I say you were out of touch with Indigenous issues… not sure where that’s coming from? 
Hell, you’re from NT - you’d have to be living in an underground bunker in order to not see/understand First Nations up there.
FWIW, plenty of places (suburbs, localities, parks, etc.) where I live either have the original Indigenous name or at least make note of it if there’s a historical marker. Put it this way - I have seen way more acknowledgment of original naming of places here than I’ve ever seen in my time spent in New England (U.S.), which is rich with Native American history.
My apologies for engaging and ruining the thread. I personally feel that standing up to racism is important but I also believe that sometimes some people find it where it doesn’t exist or go about it in such a way that all discussion is ruined. Does not naming your property for the original Native American name really make you a racist? Do people in Australia get to decide that US events are racist and should be shut down? Events in the US often have to run on private land and how appreciative or respectful people are of the hosts can often mean the death or life of an event.
I recall an event that had to switch to a CT because heavy flooding at caused vast areas of the course to be under water. The amount of rain to the entire state was well known. It was historic. Some people were so upset that they had paid money for a HT to not run XC went out and schooled XC anyway. The show had to have people patrolling the course to remove them. Those same people would probably have complained about the poor footing had it run, or complained that the course was torn up at a future event.
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The whole Plantation fiasco was a perfect example of the pitfalls of social media. Instead of being able to have a reasonable discussion and realizing that most “hot topics” have far more nuance than either “side” is willing to admit, people tend to devolve into this “us versus them” mentality where they’re unwilling to meet in the middle.
Having concern about the name “Plantation” is reasonable given the connotation the word has to a lot of people … but in their determination to be “activists” EN discounted the actual origin of the name, and refusing to cover the event due to a name with no racist intentions made it appear that they just wanted to be “right” and strong-arm change in the name of wokeness without allowing for discussion.
The organizers/landowners also were determined to be “right” and unwilling to accept any nuance to the situation. Even if they had no intentions of changing the name, why not release a statement explaining the origin of the name, and how instead of just avoiding words you’d rather take the name back from those connotations by showing that your event is somewhere that diversity is welcomed? IMO that is a classier way to respond (and better way to show that you are not, in fact, racist) than throwing a tantrum and taking your ball and going home.
Yes, I realize that landowners can do whatever they want with their property and we’re at their mercy as far as having events to go to, but I think neither side came out of that whole mess looking good. Nothing is as simple and dichotomous as people make it out to be on social media.
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not to derail further but there were in fact people of colour who spoke up at that time and said the event name gave them bad vibes and made them uncomfortable.
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I’m doing you a big favor with significant inconvenience to myself with little to gain but the good will of others. Why should I be expected to “meet in the middle” about anything?
Take generous offerings as they are given, but for god sakes people, stop acting like you are ENTITLED to the benevolence of others. That’s the problem here. You willingly accept that this man is a “racist” and has his “head up his ass” or worse you just stay silent about others saying these things, and then STILL expect and even demand he continue his generosity toward you/us.
The problem here is a bunch of self righteous, self absorbed people who think they are fighting a moral crusade for which there is no tolerance for any interpretations that deviates from their own ideology. And Hell Fire and Brimstone for anyone that disagrees with the One True Cause; and Redemption from the Original Sin of Racism for those that pay Penance. The culture of this ideology is progressively becoming more cult like.
If you are offended where no offense is intended while playing with your “luxury sport pet” that’s on you. There are real and serious problems in the world, some of them might even involve race, but this is not one of them. It’s just a bunch of spoiled, petty people trying to feel better about themselves by proselytizing to the unwashed.
ETA: that this is the plural/general “you” not specifically @Sticky_Situation I apologize if this originally sounded like I was heaping this all on her head.
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Oof. Some people do actually care about the harm and racism people face every day. It doesn’t have to be one extreme or the other. Not everyone who is an ally to get an ego boost or whatever it is you are suggesting! Seesh
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And I’m one of them. And if you think this particular incident was a fight worth fighting–that moved the ball, that improved the world and made a dent in race relations–then you probably aren’t. You’re just making noise.
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I obviously don’t know the details of what went down so I’m not going to pretend to nor insult the people who were trying to do the right thing in their minds. Lessons were surely learned but I hardly think that post was necessary. If I’m making noise then you are screaming and I have to wonder why?
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Agree, and interesting that some of the most vocal people on these threads not only don’t live in an area with that HT but don’t even live in that country! So they’re getting all of their information second hand. The entire situation was handled poorly all around.
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The world has been full of human suffering caused by people “doing the right thing in their mind.”
I’m not screaming. I’m sick and tired of people thinking they are so morally superior that they can come to public places and feel free to call people whose generosity they or our sport is benefitting from “racist” and that they have their “head up their ass.” Everybody else ducks and covers because sure enough they’ll be called nasty names if they stand up. It’s time. Time to stop letting this ideology own public spaces and call it out when it is petty and mean.
So do it. Call me a racist because I have a different opinion and dared to espouce it. Do it. It only diminishes you, and I know who and what I am and don’t care.
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