LEXINGTON, Ky. – About a day after Fayette County school officials unveiled the Stallion mascot and green and orange colors of the new Frederick Douglass High School, they’re reversing course amid complaints the horse is sexist.

“Since the public announcement of the mascot Monday, we have received feedback from some community members who have concerns about the mascot and we want to assure our constituents that there was absolutely no intent to offend or upset anyone,” Fayette County Schools Superintendent Manny Caulk said in a statement Tuesday, according to WKYT.

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“We also recognize that there is support from others in our community to honor the former stallions of Hamburg Place farm.”

The new school sits on 65 acres of the former farm where the Madden family raised champion racehorses that included four Kentucky Derby winners and the first Triple Crown winner – Sir Barton. District officials chose the Stallions mascot to honor the famed racehorses, which were buried on the central Kentucky farm, Caulk said.

But 207 people who signed onto a Change.org petition apparently believe the stallion mascot is sexist, and pressured school officials to reconsider.

The Stallions mascot “is inappropriate and sexist when you consider the definition from ‘YourDictionary’ … ‘The definition of a stallion is a male horse that has not been castrated, used for breeding or is slang for a powerful and virile man who has lots of lovers’ and from Wikipedia…’because of their instincts as herd animals, they may be prone to aggressive behavior, particularly toward other stallions, and thus require careful management by knowledgeable handlers. However, with proper training and management, stallions are effective equine athletes at the highest levels of many disciplines,’” the petition read.

“What message does this send to our daughters and granddaughters? Our sons and grandsons?” it continued. “We demand that the name be changed to something more gender neutral and more indicative of Douglass’ brilliant mind, successful career and vision for equality and to send a message to all students that they are respected and valued.”

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The school, slated to open next fall, is named after abolitionist Frederick Douglass, and several folks who complained about the Stallions mascot on social media believe it conflicts with his legacy of equality. Local resident Diane Cahill told the Lexington Herald-Leader she presented the petition to Caulk, principal Lester Diaz, and school board members after Monday’s announcement because it allegedly sends the wrong message, particularly in the context of girls sports.

“How did they come up with this? The connotation of stallions pertaining to a girls’ softball team or basketball team just seemed really, really strange to me — a male breeding horse,” Cahill said.

Others seem to agree with her take, and said the issue is about “gender equality.”

“Using stallions as the mascot for the Frederick Douglass High School seems wrong on so many levels,” Lexington resident Anita Courtney told the Herald-Leader. “It leaves out 50 percent of the student population — girls — and is and not in keeping with the spirit of Title IX that promotes gender equity in sports. Calling the female athletes Lady Stallions doesn’t make any sense. We should get our horse terms right in the Bluegrass. And even if it were an all-male high school, would we want to promote an image that has to do with breeding?”

Caulk said officials ultimately decided to keep the horse logo and school colors, but will allow incoming students to select a different mascot when classes begin next school year.

“Moving forward, we will keep the Keeneland green and orange colors and horse image in the school logo to pay homage to Lexington’s rich history in the horse industry, but we will allow the incoming students of Frederick Douglass High School to choose their mascot,” Caulk wrote. “We’ve already received suggestions of Thoroughbreds or Racers as possible alternatives to Stallions and we will solicit additional ideas from our students before they choose a horse-themed mascot grounded in the land’s equestrian heritage.”

Several people who commented about the situation in the Change.org petition’s comments seemed to think the issue was overblown.

“This petition is stupid as hell,” commenter “Grow up” wrote. “You honestly have to whine and complain about this. Grow the hell up …”