LINCOLNVILLE, Maine — Six years ago, Krystal Coombs decided to grab life by the reins—literally.
"I've always loved horses,” she said “I’ve been riding since I was six.”
Until recently, that love disappeared. Life got in the way.
"Once you have that passion in you—it may go dormant for a little while, but it never leaves,” Coombs said as she groomed her beloved horse Beau inside her dream barn in Lincolnville.
She works as a wholesale distributor for local gift shops around the state in her day job, and is often busiest ahead of the summer tourist season.
Coombs said she goes store to store, selling everything from purses and clothing to stuffed animals.
But she did not have enough money to comfortably get back in the saddle.
So she launched the Camden Hills Equine Inn.
Her newly-built small barn became a horse hotel of sorts to traveling horse owners visiting the midcoast.
"It's nice to have different riders here and experiences with different people,” Coombs said.
Over the years, Coombs has led dozens of tours through the winding trails of nearby Camden Hills State Park.
She said she has welcomed people from all over the country and Canada, and it is growing by the year.
"This year I have more reservations that I've ever had that's really encouraging,” Coombs said.
Much of the inn’s business is in the summer months. For more information you can visit mainehorsehotel.com.