Meadowbrook Equestrian Center was devastated by a fire on Sept. 18. Although no humans or horses were harmed, the center’s 220-year-old barn was destroyed, leaving eight horses homeless.

In the wake of the fire, the equestrian center has had an influx of support and donations from the community. Matthew Baillargeon, owner of the farm, told Lakes Region Now that a Naples grocery store, The Umbrella Factory, provided water to feed the Meadowbrook horses. Mike Mason, owner of Loon Haven Family Campground, lent the center his excavator and dumpsters to help with the cleanup.

In the immediate aftermath, Bedell’s Electric of Otisfield helped hook up a generator while the center was disconnected from Central Maine Power. Baillargeon praised Amy Herbert, mother of his assistant, Zachary Herbert, for helping to facilitate the work.

Brendan Bedell, of Bedell’s Electric, told Lakes Region Now that Amy Herbert had reached out to his company in regard to the property to let them know that the electrical service was destroyed during the fire and there was no power to the property. Bedell mobilized his crew and brought temporary power back to the center the day after the fire so that the center could have its fence, while also helping to restore power to the indoor arena.

Amy Herbert said everyone at the center has been “anxiety-high,” and that the horses sense the change and have been feeding off of it. Nevertheless, they have been attempting to restore some sort of normalcy, putting in a lot of effort to practice and prepare for equestrian shows.

At an equestrian show at the Naples Rocktoberfest, barn manager Patricia Sapp said the center is in the process of converting its indoor riding arena into temporary portable stalls to house the eight horses while donations are coming in to rebuild the barn.

Over the past few weeks, Meadowbrook has received a surge of private donations, with Baillargeon saying that many people have stopped by the property in person to drop things off. A GoFundMe campaign to support the equestrian center has raised almost $21,000 out of a goal of $26,000.

“I’m not the kind of person to ask people for help, so it’s been really humbling to have everybody help me, and help, you know, my team at the barn,” Baillargeon said.