Eventing Nation booted from covering Event in Unionville, PA

I don’t know why the link isn’t working. I’ll try it again, https://useventing.com/news-media/ne…d-horse-trials. You can also go to the USEA site and search for it. It says that the organizer chose the name ~20 years ago. Note he had previously been involved with Fair Hill, and had a 501c3named Fair Hill Equestrian Events. He changed the name of it when he started organizing the event in Pennsylvania. Here’s a longer quote from the article:

“In 1998, Glaccum moved the events to Menfelt in Frederick, Maryland while a more permanent site could be constructed in Pennsylvania. That’s where Walker came in. “In 2000 I approached Cuyler Walker about the possibility of using a portion of his property to conduct our trials. We ran our first horse trials at Plantation in the spring of 2001.”

With the move to Plantation came a shift in the name of the 501©(3). “The field was known as Logan’s Field and it also had a woods known as Plantation Woods. So, we changed our name to Plantation Field Equestrian Events, Inc. (PFEE). Since then, we have conducted four recognized events a year (one being [an international]) and three unrecognized events as well as schooling jumper and dressage shows.” “

Edited to add: I reread your post and realized maybe you were asking about when the landowner chose the name Plantation Woods. That is addressed in some previous posts, but not in this article.

So, after 20 years of hard work, generosity and contribution to the sport, is USEA or EN going to recognize Plantation Field for it’s achievements with any kind of gratitude or thank you? Because I’m sure Mr Walker knows other prominent people in the sport and I’m sure other generous landowners are looking at this mess and wondering if it’s all worth it. I always thank volunteers, they really appreciate it and I like being thanked and appreciated when I’m a volunteer. If I went up to a volunteer and screamed at them for whatever reason I doubt they’d be back. Or is USEA going to keep stepping on it’s dick and are we going to continue losing such great shows?

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Except the history is that local Boy Scouts from the area approached the owners, Mr. Walker’s grandparents, and asked to plant trees there to earn a merit badge. Something about the quest to become an Eagle Scout, if memory serves.

His family and possibly one particular aunt may have been the catalyst for his involvement in putting together Fair Hill & PFEE.

http://terryconway.net/horse-racing/the-horse-world/16-features1/158-taking-the-reins12
https://cheshirehuntconservancy.org/index.php/home/history-of-chc

William Plunkett Stewart owned 5000 acres of land in 1929 that he started acquiring years before.

https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:s9v33PDYgdgJ:https://cheshirehuntconservancy.org/pdf/NancyPennSmithHannum.pdf+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us
https://thehuntmagazine.com/feature/the-conscience-of-the-countryside/

Oh, how nice. A link to a CotH article.

https://www.chronofhorse.com/article/listening-living-legend-nancy-penn-smith-hannum

"My stepfather, Mr. W. Plunket Stewart, came here to Unionville in 1912 from Maryland, where his family was always very much the backbone of the foxhunting world. He was the CEO of Cassatt & Co. [now Merrill Lynch] in Philadelphia, and my father had been the CEO of Cassatt & Co. in New York City, which was always considered one of the outstanding stock exchange corporations in the eastern part of America. My father and my stepfather had a similar interest in life, so that was the beginning of everything.

By 1929, Plunket and his wife were divorcing, and then my father [Richard Penn Smith] died, so his [joining the family] was all very legal and very proper, luckily! My father had died when I was about 8, and up until then we had always lived on Long Island because he worked in New York City, but my mother and father had a lovely, lovely farm of some 300 acres down in Virginia near Middleburg.

Mother [Carol Harriman Penn Smith] had an outstanding group of Thorough-bred broodmares and a good stallion with which she bred Grade I stakes winners. One of our horses, called Pasteurized, later won the Belmont [Stakes, in 1938]. That is just an example of the type of Thoroughbred race horse that mother was producing on her farm in this lovely area of Virginia. If you go from Unionville to there, the country is very much alike. And believe it or not, it’s what Long Island was like back in the 1920s or early ’30s."

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Unless he was advised not to because there’s a good chance legal action might come out of this.

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Again, he may have listened and graciously opted to change the name if EN and possibly others had presented it differently and without a timetable that it had to happen now. This year. Particularly if people whose feelings were hurt by it had petitioned in person or maybe in writing.

Would that have been ideal? No. But the pressure they brought to bear backfired and now plenty of people will have to go elsewhere.

I guess we’ll never know if he would have been amenable to renaming the location Logan’s Field or something else.

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A service project is required to earn the Eagle Scout rank. I did mine re-building a campsite. Frankly, planting trees would have been far better. I’ve been to Unionville and surrounding areas, never to Plantation but the whole area is just gorgeous. What a sickening, stupid loss this is.

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Yes. I was amazed at how many acres are conserved. His aunt clearly was persuasive!

Mr. Stewart’s greatest success in providing hunting land was enticing Robert Kleberg of King Ranch fame to buy Lammot duPont’s 5,200-acre farm with the lure of prime cattle grazing land. When the King Ranch came to town with its Santa Gertrudis cattle, the Cheshire Hunt became more of a foxhunter’s dream than ever imagined. Eventually the King Ranch doubled its original land holdings there and over 15 square miles was open to hunting.

Mrs. Hannum became known for her ability to persuade the most undeterred landowner to protect, rather than develop, his land. When the King Ranch wanted to sell, it was the Brandywine Conservancy and the generous members of the Cheshire Hunt that found a way to protect it from massive development. The Hunt has been fortunate in retaining almost all its original country.

That is no mean feat.

In the example cited earlier about Cornell, it was a year before the name was changed after Black Students United brought up the issue. Not three or four months. Cornell may also receive state and possibly federal funds, I believe. But it still took a year. Which in hidebound institutional terms is a blink of an eye.

PFEE isn’t subsidized in that manner, is it? It’s entirely a private operation.

What a freaking mess and loss to so many. May the rest of the board and USEA, USEF be very persuasive and may Mr. Walker change his mind when he is no longer receiving emails from anyone associated with the EN staff.

Holy cow - 30,000 acres!

“Through their efforts, and those of several other conservation organizations and land trusts, there are now over 30,000 contiguous acres in our area subject to conservation easements and deed restrictions that will permanently preserve their rural character and agricultural use. Most of this was possible as a result of the generosity of landowners who voluntarily donated their development rights to one or more conservation organizations.”

https://cheshirehuntconservancy.org/index.php/home/open-space

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Sorry, but I’m on a roll. Being laid up with a broken limb does that to you.

So the land had been in the family since the late 19th/early 20th century.

“At the end of 1997, the Glaccums’ relationship with management at Fair Hill was “less than ideal,” so Denis and Bambi moved back north. They spent a few years looking for the right opportunity before connecting with Cuyler Walker, who owned land that had been in his family for more than century. Walker’s family had used it for a variety of purposes, even renting it to the Texas-based King Ranch for cattle grazing. In 2001, they started work on the site of what would become Plantation Field, taking the name from the hedges planted around the property. “Denis figured out how to turn it into an equestrian venue,” says Walker.”

https://thehuntmagazine.com/feature/unionville-plantation-field-horse-trials

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I don’t know if there is a sign there or not. I was thinking out loud. I see photos of temporary banners but that doesn’t mean there may not be something within the property that isn’t visible from the road.

We don’t know that to be the case. If this was part of a meeting package, it may have been printed out for others to read. I mean, maybe it was Denis but I don’t know.

There are no permanent signs up, only the banners and road signs during the events.

A little history of the grounds - back in the early 2000’s, Mr. Walker was very particular about his property and would not allow events to run after heavy rains so as not to damage the property. Dressage and parking were formerly in a different location. The road used to get to parking now is narrow and the individual that owns the farm you pass to get there does NOT like all that horse trailer traffic. There has been constant conjoling and appeasing the owners of Plantation Field and the surrounding properties over the last 20 years to not only keep the events running but to put in the stone dust arena that is now at the top of the hill.

We have the DuPonts to thank for Fair Hill as well. It was sold into conservancy to the State of Maryland (and PA to the small part in PA).

Looking at a picture of John Their, owner of Eventing Nation, he looks under 30. So my impression is that he is inexperienced with how the local culture works and lacks patience. He tried to use strong arm tactics to make the change he wanted to happen happen. Were it me, I would NEVER tell Denis that the name has negative connotations to some people. First - that would never be an opening, second - if you don’t know already, you would find out shortly after talking to him that he is a curmudgeonly old man. Furthermore, I would never approach the Walkers with anything but the utmost respect. The culture that Mr. Walker lives in is one where if you do not approach the individual you are seeking a favor from with the utmost respect and understanding, you will not only get nowhere, you will likely lose what you have - which is what happened here. What you need to do is form a compelling debate and preferrably also offer something to gain (noteriety, money, etc).

I think it is disingenuous to compare this situation to Dolly Parton and her renaming of the Dixie Stampede. Parton stands to lose money through lack of patronage due to the name. Mister Walker loses money AND has his property torn up every year. He gains nothing and loses nothing by not changing his name. He lost some sense of privacy and good will through this debacle and gains back at least his privacy through terminating the lease. It is a no brainer for him.

Also, consider the Washington Redskins debate has been going on for what, a decade? In all likelihood, had this been approached better, you could have had a name change starting 2021 but not a mere 4 months before an event - there is picking a new name, creating new banners, do we want new colors? etc. etc. (as a note, polls conducted in 2004 and 2016 found that 90% of Native Americans were not offended by the name Redskins but this started changing in the last few years - this is similar to the Speedy Gonzalez contraversy and Warner Bros. removing the cartoon due to public opinion only to start airing it again when a large portion of the Hispanic-American population voiced their desire to see it).

Speaking personally, as someone who has been repeatedly told my ancestors’ trials and tribulation do not matter because they happened in Europe. As someone who grew up not feeling like she could be proud of the positive effect her family had in recent history because of the inevitable jokes on how stupid those particular people are (originated through propaganda), which drowns out any feats of bravery. As someone who has never had anyone step up and stop people from making jokes and using slurs because it offended me. As someone who never had anyone attempt to explain to anyone the history and help defend me. As someone who has grown up constantly being told to “brush it off”, “it’s just a joke”, “don’t be so sensitive”, I don’t really have a lot of sympathy for anyone getting upset over words as inocuous as “plantation”.

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I’ve read this thread to learn about the issue. In truth I have to note that, coming from New England, old place names are like wallpaper: there but generally not noticed. I’ve spent my whole life in states abutting the place that is named Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. It would never occur to me that the name would be offensive, so consider me educated.

So having said, what a shame to lose such a wonderful venue. I hope that with time, some rapproachment can be effected.

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Different perspective— it’s an opportunity for them to learn “not to judge a book by its cover” which is surely what all visible minority groups have been striving for. The continual perpetuation of victimhood by assembling protective bubbles doesn’t make it any easier for them to stand on their own with confidence in the knowledge that their own efforts, time and money (or lack of any thereof) are equally as valid as the next person.

I would much rather bring someone along to an event with a less PC name but great content & people than a spot that has all the niceties in the title but has deeper inequalities built in to their operation. EN went for the jugular on the name and the event has now bled.

Sadly, I think these divisions amongst peoples (worldwide) will extend long beyond our own lifetimes.

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Hi everyone. I’ve not had time to read all this thread but my two cents…discussing the name of this event is fine. Civil adults can and should do that. Meanings of words do change over time etc. The issue for the Land owner was not the name change per se. It was the way this was crammed down on them and dragging them into the spotlight as the land owner. Even just changing the name of an event is not easy and not without a lot of expense. Not everyone has the deep pockets of Dolly! So just to change the name would mean fewer resources spent on things like frangible jumps. It’s a balance. These are decisions NOT to be taken lightly or done in haste. I stand with the event and the land owner on this. We need them and they do not need us. We can have conversations but not force our opinions. We need to treat all land owners who open their property up for our use with respect. We DO need more diversity in eventing but that is not accomplished in this manner.

This divisive world we are in and over the top reactions on social media has got to stop. Reasonable people CAN disagree on things. And real change with the problem of racism in our SOCIETY as a whole takes time…and obviously is not something so quickly fixed as a name of a farm. I’m saddened that eventers are being torn apart about this but it does seem that treating others with respect and respecting different opinions is being cast aside. Our sport is about the horse…and in that we have common ground.

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I was not planning on posting in this forum about PF’s cancellation (or anywhere) but I feel like this incident has spiraled out of control. I am a Black female Eventer in Area II and competed at PF last year. I loved every minute of it and had no personal injury with the name. I’m extremely upset that this is happening right now and that everyone is so angry. I am also extremely upset at how this issue was handled by EN. I was never asked about my feelings towards PF by EN and I submitted and had published an essay for the Diversity Scholarship last month.

I want everyone to know that this is not an easy issue to wade into and there no one blanket answer. I grew up in the South and know all about the word ‘Plantation’. So in theory I would be leading the charge for Plantation Field’s name to be immediately changed, hard stop, right?? Not necessarily. Another person of color may feel the complete opposite of me. Neither one of us are wrong.

The main reason that I’m posting here is because I sent two separate emails to Leslie at EN over the past week and have not received a response. At first I was chagrined, then annoyed, and now leaning towards angry. There’s not a lot of ‘us’ in this sport. I’m not hard to find. I board at Waredaca, have been competing and volunteering in Area II pretty regularly over the past few years, and have probably had conversations with a few of you. Horses specifically and this sport in particular have been a very happy place for me. I’ve never felt excluded or looked over…until now. There’s a lot of talk about what BIPOC want or feel or need. But no focused effort to ask questions and organize information and then act. I’m pointing to EN, the USEA, and USEF. Sigh.

So here are the two emails I sent to EN. I may regret it but here we go. I’m going to go ride my horse now. ~Helen Casteel:

9/16 8pm
”‹”‹”‹”‹”‹”‹Hello,

I’m sure you’re inundated with emails/comments/social media big emotion about the cancellation of Plantation Field and that this email may be buried, but I wanted to share my thoughts about this whole thing as a Black Eventer.

I greatly appreciate ENs commitment to inclusion in the sport, the fact that the team recognized the ‘Plantation’ name has historical implications and made rectifying it an action item. There are a lot of wrongs that need to be acknowledged and righted in this country; it is practically overwhelming.

(Here I want to be delicate because thoughts about this are difficult to convey in an email.)

But did you consult with any POC Eventers or Area II POC Eventers before going down this route? I know the campaign to change the Washington Redskins name was referenced but that’s what it was…a campaign by many people with input from Native tribe members. I competed at Plantation Field for the first time last year and got my AECs qualification and never once felt uncomfortable at being there. If anything I was honored to be competing where so much Eventing history has been made. As I wrote in my essay for the Diversity Scholarship, I’ve loved this sport since I was a kid and am now at the point where I can actively participate. The fact that I won’t be able to go back is heartbreaking.

Instead of pushing for the name change and having the conflict with organizers and owners escalate, I would have requested a simple paragraph be permanently placed on the website, show brochure and any other official publication noting the history of the word ‘Plantation’ in this country; explaining the actual meaning behind the name ‘Plantation Field’ along with clear statement that all races, genders, and religions are welcome.

I want Recognition of past wrongs and more participation. Not loss of venues, volunteers, and competitors for our sport.

An example of what I’m feeling: There has been a push by some Realtors to no longer use the word ‘Master’ Bedroom when describing main bedroom suites in homes. Yes the name is a problem. However the larger issue is systematic redlining of neighborhoods that has created generational poverty for Black Americans.

On a personal level, this situation puts me in an uncomfortable position. My horse is recovering from an injury so we aren’t doing any recognized HTs this year. Next year I’m worried that people will look at me at shows and think I’m part of the reason Plantation Field isn’t running anymore. I’m now feeling more like an outsider that I ever have.

I truly hope there is some way for this to be turned around and events reinstated at Plantation Field. I know there are a couple of big personalities involved that can make discussing this topic very difficult but there has to be a middle ground somewhere.

Also…If there is a similar push with Morven Park organizers, please stop and reevaluate.

I hope this email is read and considered. Thank you.

9/18 9.21am
”‹”‹”‹”‹”‹”‹Good morning,

I haven’t heard back from you about my previous email. Hopefully not because I disagree with the way this happened, but if so, that’s okay. This’ll be my last outreach on the subject.

I understand the actions behind the push to change Plantation Field’s name and am glad that a number of people, white and people of color support the effort. But again, I am a Black female USEA member in Area II and am directly affected by this. I don’t know PF’s organizer and ownership team personally but am familiar with them through years of observation. Question for you. What was your expected outcome when they were first approached? Did you think that they would just agree to the name change and that’d be it? Change like this does not come easily and usually has to be forced. I feel like the EN team entered into this with no leverage. Donald Sterling did not sell the Clippers and Dan Snyder did not acquiesce to the Redskins name change because they had a change of heart. Sterling lost his team in court. Snyder lost support of MAJOR sponsors and private equity firms. Were PF’s sponsors a part of your approach? Did you have support from the PF ground team and volunteers? Did the Area II Chair know what was going on? Have competitors told you that they would no longer compete at PF because of the name? Did the USEF and USEA take the lead in pushing the effort and managing the name change? I don’t know the details but I feel like you literally brought a knife to a gunfight. There was no way the PF name would change just because you asked for it to be done. That should have been known from the very beginning.

All I know of the EN team are the articles I see posted on the website. Do you have any Black/POC people on your executive team or in a consulting role? Yes it is up to the sport’s white leaders and members to right this ship. However from what I see, you all are running toward the cliff with little nuance or direction. For example, when the Diversity Scholarship was first announced, I suggested a ‘Diversity and Inclusion’ drop down under the EN Topics header. That has not been done. All of the Diversity Scholarship essays have disappeared from the website. I was talking with my Dad about my essay and wanted to quote another person. I went to the website to find their essay but they are all gone. All of that work we did is invisible, like it never happened. Why? These are things that you should be working on right now. You all have a huge blind spot that is only hurting you. Making sure the EN team is truly representative and that the website is reflective of what your priorities are will make any future efforts easier to achieve.

To most people this is a ‘black’ and ‘white’ issue. Either you’re for or against. It is not that simple and there is a lot of grey here. If you want change then you all need to recognize that. I, personally, am not injured by the PF name. I know the history of the word ‘Plantation’. I was born in North Carolina and spent most of my life in Texas before moving to Massachusetts (where by the way I’ve experienced worse racism than while living in Texas). I’ve been called nigger to my face and behind my back. I also know chattel slavery did not take place at PF and that the Underground Railroad ran right to Kennett Square. I know the types of people you had conversations with about the name change. I also know this sport is 1,000% dependent on land and the cooperation of land owners and work of the organizers. You cannot enter into these fights swinging with no leverage or willingness to compromise and not expect loss of venues.

What you do with this email and everything I’ve said is up to you. If you want to take on real change then how about making sure EN sponsors and advertisers have diverse advert campaigns? How about running stories on Kerrits and Smartpak who have, quickly, diversified their advertising and outreach? How about running stories about pushing USEA/USEF to diversity their leadership teams?

I have purposely not commented about this on my social media and don’t plan to yet. I will say the number of white people speaking for BIPOC and our feelings is infuriating. Including people I know. Everyone is yelling at each other and it’s just not a good time right now. I hope you and the EN team learn from this so that going forward we can work for change and actually achieve it.

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Guys - this is a fight between EN and the EVENT ORGANIZER “Plantation Field Equestrian Events” (Dennis Glaccum). As soon as it affected Mr Parker he pulled the plug.
Didn’t have a hissy fit but was just not interested in getting involved in somebody else’s pissing contest and all the crap it would dump at his door.

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Thank you HelenC, great post. There were several “POC” at Flying Cross last weekend (I hate that term) kicking ass with great rides. John Their’s path and mine crossed only once many years ago. We were at Chris Newton’s Antebellum Farm in Lexington with lame horses. He was a kid with a six figure horse doing Young Riders, I was a green ammie with a lame green horse. Seemed nice enough.

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HelenC, thank you for taking the time to write such thoughtful emails to EN, and share your thoughts here. Your perspective is fundamental to building an understanding of and undertaking inclusion of POC* in the equestrian community and beyond.

And as a Mass resident, I apologize for your awful experiences here. There is NO excuse. If you’re still here, please PM me.

  • I agree that this is not the best term from my perspective, but mine isn’t the one that counts. I’m willing to adopt whatever people of color choose to call themselves, even as I recognize there may be many as different answers as there are people.
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Thank you so much for sharing this Helen!

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Helen C, in your two emails to EN, you’ve shown 10 times more comprehension of all the issues AND the correct way of researching an article than EN ever did. Have you considered becoming a journalist - you seem to possess all the necessary qualities? Anyway, I wish you the best whatever your chosen endeavours, and thank you for your articulate contributions to the debate. IF you receive a reply, please do share it…

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