Aiken Horse Park Foundation receives $250,000 donation for capital campaign
Oct. 6—The Aiken Horse Park Foundation has received a $250,000 donation to its capital campaign, which is known as The Next Chapter.
Deborah Ann "Debbie" Smith, an equestrian who lives in Beverly Hills, Florida, gave the money to the nonprofit.
The Horse Park Foundation's Bruce's Field at 931 Powderhouse Road S.E. is a horse show and eventing venue.
Construction began there in earnest in the spring of 2015, and the first horse shows were held at Bruce's Field in September 2015.
"Debbie's generosity is a welcome gift to our fundraising efforts and will surely encourage others to support The Next Chapter of Bruce's Field," said Horse Park Foundation Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Tara Bostwick.
Originally from New Jersey, Smith was a talented junior horse show competitor in the hunter, jumper and equitation divisions, and she has continued to enjoy success as an adult.
Smith's mounts have earned numerous Horse of the Year honors, according to a Horse Park Foundation news release issued Oct. 4.
The release also stated that Smith recently had spent two weeks in Aiken with her trainers, Matt Martin and Shane Powell of Marketmoor, a horse training, showing and sales operation based in Ocala, Florida.
"We are so grateful to Debbie for her support and belief in our mission," said Daniel Geitner, an equestrian who is a member of the Horse Park Foundation's board of directors.
"Her gift not only validates our efforts to make Bruce's Field a unique competition venue," he continued, "but (it also) provides important funding and momentum to The Next Chapter capital campaign as we move into the fall months."
The Horse Park Foundation launched the public phase of its capital campaign earlier this year. The goal is to raise $7 million.
Around $3.6 million was donated during the campaign's private phase.
The funds are being used to provide 10 new barns and other amenities at Bruce's Field, and the money also will help sustain future operations at the venue.
The amount donated by Smith gives her the naming rights for one of the new barns.
The first new barn was dedicated to Evie and Phillip Dutton in March following a gift from anonymous donor.
Three more barn dedications were held in March thanks to donations from Horse Park Foundation President Jack Wetzel, Dayle and Ed Fortino, and the John R. Ingram Advised Fund of the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee.
The River Edge Farm barn's dedication will be held in early winter, and Smith's barn dedication will be scheduled "very soon," according to the release.
For more information, visit aikenhorsepark.org or the Aiken Horse Park Foundation page on Facebook.
The late Bruce Duchossois, a member of the National Show Hunter Hall of Fame, was a driving force in the founding of Bruce's Field and acquiring the property for it.
He died in 2014 at the age of 64, and Bruce's Field is named in his honor.
