Maggie Austin and riding in NC Outerbanks

My name is Maggie Austin. I was born and raised in Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. By the time I was 5 years old, I had my first horse and the love for horses never stopped. I worked my way through middle and high school cleaning barns to earn my keep and any chance that I had to be in the saddle, I was!

I went off to college in Virginia at Tidewater Community College, facing the fact that maybe the horse world would be a hobby instead of a living. I got into my second year, last class of a radiologist technician degree, thinking I would like that career because of photography - but found out quickly human anatomy was boring to me!

I had always dreamed of owning a guided touring business with horses on the beach since I had grown up doing that as a 10 year old for a local business here called equine adventures.

Everyone would tell me “make horses a hobby so your love never stops for them, don’t make it a business.” But I fought that deep down in my soul.

As life sorta carried me through a series of events, I went on to get my associates in social science to which I have never used but at least have a piece of paper, I guess! I told myself I would accomplish my dream of working out in Wyoming back in 2017. I worked as a wrangler for a beautiful dude ranch called Lost Creek Ranch for a season. On my third to last guided week there, I met two ladies that chose to have me as their guide for that week. During that week, I drew close to them and they asked me what my dreams were to which I replied “to have my own guided trail riding business back at home someday.”

As that week came to an end, they offered me a job, not at home, but out in Aiken, South Carolina at Stable View. I sorta laughed it off at first but went online the night they gave me their card and my jaw dropped. Anyone that knows Stable View, knows it’s a massive, beautiful facility for eventing. They asked me to come and start a guided trail business for them.

So when I left Wyoming, I went to South Carolina and began my job there. Things went well for a while but I received a phone call from home that my parents had purchased a piece of property and they thought in the future I may be able to do guided rides through the woods off of this property.

So, on a break I had from work, I took off and came home to see the property which is where I not only have my business now, I also reside.

My parents sold me the back half of the property as things sorta were falling through in South Carolina and I decided to come home and start building what I have now.

My trail didn’t work out with the park service so I quickly figured out that people would have to ride a short distance on the roadway to get to the beach so in order to do what I wanted, I needed people who had experience with horses to be able to ride this trek to the beach. As I grew up traveling with horses and staying places, my mind kicked started what I have now- which is a horse Airbnb where people can come and stay on site in one of our three cabins and also bring their horse to ride the beach! I started my business in September of 2021. Things have been smooth sailing and growing every step of the way. 2025 was my biggest year yet, having over 350 horses on my books. And going to 2026, I have that number already on the books, hoping each year will continue to grow. 

Transcript

0:15

Thanks for tuning in to today's Horsewoman podcast. Our show explores women in the horse industry as they share their dreams, challenges, successes. What drives these women? Well, let's find out. Hi, this is Rose Cushing, and I am the host of today's Horsewoman. And I am excited that Maggie Austin is my guest today. And Maggie has a fantastic business on the beach that I know you're going to want to learn a lot about. So, Maggie, welcome to the show. Hey, how are you? Good. Um, thank you for being on with me today. I'm excited about your business. And I want but first let's tell people how you got involved in horses. All right. So as a young girl, I was I had a you know love for horses basically when I was born, but um I grew up back in uh the woods here down in Cape Outers, North Carolina, and my uh kindergarten teacher was into horses. So uh believe it or not, neither one of my parents were into horses, and um they just they lived right down the street from me, or right down the hill, I guess you should say. And um that that's kind of what got me involved in horses. Um, and by the time I was five years old, I had my first horse. He was uh 28 years old, and you know, you could set a bomb off beside him and he'd be okay. That sounds like perfect one, yes, ma'am. Yeah, and so um that's kind of how it all started. When did you decide you wanted to get into the horse business? So as a young girl, um really uh you know, by the time I was five, I I always told my mom I I'd have something to do with horses. I didn't really know what yet at the time. Um but as my my horse finally was retired at 30. Um I around 10 years old, I got an eight-month-old horse and whose name is Dan, who I still have today. Um and I've had him, so he's 21 years old this year. And um I I started him and um I started working at Equine Adventures down here, which is a little place that does guided tours out on the beach. And um, I worked for them on and off through the years and just always said, Hey, uh I'm gonna have a horse business someday. I just don't know what yet. Yeah. Yeah. And so you worked with Loves Creek? So uh in 2018, uh my my vision was to go out west before I uh went off to college and you know, made all the things happen um in my life as far as kids and getting married. So um I decided to go out to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and I got a job out at Lost Creek Ranch. Um, they had 120 head of horses, and we took uh guided rides through the Grand Tetons out in Jackson Hole, um, which was an experience of a lifetime. For sure. Yeah. That's really cool. And then you came back on the East Coast. I did. Um, so in my uh last three weeks at Lost Creek Ranch, I uh took out some guests who I I came kind of accustomed to. And um at the end of their stay, they actually ended up offering me a job out at uh Stableview in Aiken, South Carolina. Um, which, you know, when they said stableview, I didn't even know what they were talking about. I just kind of rolled my eyes and said, okay, you know, like thanks for the job offer. But um I went home that night and got on the computer and my my jaw dropped. I was like, wait a minute. Yeah, because Stableview is just a big, beautiful facility. They have 2,000 acres and um five 75-stall barns out there, which you know just will knock your socks off. Um, so I took the job down there. Um, they offered me a position to start a guide a trail riding business for them. And um I got in involved in it, and it ended up being something that um actually didn't turn out that way. It was more so of like a groundkeeper. I was the only person that lived on site, that sort of thing. Um so that's how that all started. And um, I was only there for probably nine months, 10 months, and then we acquired this piece of property, which is where I sit right now. Yeah. So what a what a wonderful thing to have happened for you know, for your parents to find a big place. Yes, yes, for sure. So um I when I left there, I came here and uh my my mom and dad brought me over here on this piece of property, which is where I sit. And um they said, I, you know, I I don't know how this is all gonna develop, but we'd rip we'd sure like to help you uh, you know, set up your your dreams here and um get you a place that goes out to the beach for the horses. So so we're here. That's so awesome. Really, that is just amazing. Now tell me a bit a little bit about what you do now with your business. So um when we bought the piece of property, uh it had three cabins already situated on it that were year-round rentals at one point. They were kind of worn down, you know, just the the run-of-the-mill type house. Um, so my my parents took their savings and redid the cabins. And while they were doing that, I bought the back half of the property from them. And we more so my father helped me clear this property, um, which was all kind of marshy and you know, very overgrown. And um after about a year and a half, we had this back half cleared and we built a round pen and and then my whole vision came to life um with just bringing in horses of your own, of you know, people that have horses. Um and they bring them down on vacation and stay here and ride out on the beach. So it's kind of like an Airbnb for horses. An Airbnb for horses, yes, ma'am. Yeah. So you can stay here on site. You don't have to stay here on site, but you you're welcome to, and um, your horse stays here and you you get to ride to the beach. I said about a mile from the beach. So I don't think we've told them where you're located. Yep. So I'm down in um Frisco, North Carolina, or Cape Patters, commonly known as the Outer Banks. Um, yeah. Yeah, what a what a wonderful dream to have come to life. Yes, yeah. It was it was a lot of work, but um, you know, I'm I'm glad to be here. So well, how many people do you can you accommodate? How big is as your operation? Um, so I have right now currently have six stalls. Um, we have three cabins that sit on site. Each cabin sleeps up to four people. So um I've had more than six horses here, of course, you know, because you get the big groups that want to do more. Um I'm happy to work along with people as it goes. So now how do people find you and and make reservations and stuff? So um most people if they're Google searching, you know, beach rides on the Outer Banks, um, I'll pop up. So you can Google, you know, horseback rides on the outer banks or um visit my website, which is uh Sugar Ridge Ranch, OBX.com. That sounds great. So you've done a lot of things already in your life. What's left on your bucket list to accomplish? So um within the last year I've actually um been into training wild horses, wild mustangs. Um and I've competed in um the um Mustang Makeover in Lexington, Kentucky, um, last year in June. And um I'm just really enjoying training the horses and um getting to have the experience of you know the the full bond. The the scared and and not so scared at the end. Are you doing anything with the Outer Banks wild horses? No, so they they're they're protected, um unlike the herds out west, which are government protected as well, but but these guys are just they're they're no hands-on. Um they don't allow you to adopt them out or anything anymore because the herds are so small here. Um, and our wild horses from where I sit, we're about two hours away um from Kerala, which has the wild horses. So Okay. Okay. All right. Well, you know, the horse business is a hard business at best. What advice would you give to women coming into our industry as to how to be successful? I think the biggest thing is just don't give up um and try your hardest and just try to visit other places that you um want to be like, you know, and and kind of get your own bearings and what you want to do and try to be successful and just never give up. Yeah. That's good advice. So your website is Sugar Ridge OBX. Sugar Ridgebranch OBX.com. And are you seasonal or year-round? I'm open year-round. Um, I do have you know suggestions, which is come early spring or late fall, just to kind of beat the heat and the bugs. Um, but but I am open year-round. So and is beach riding allowed year-round there? Beach riding is allowed year-round. Um, we have more than 50 miles of beaches here to ride. Um, we have one main trail system, which is about eight male eight miles long. Um, but yeah, it's plenty to ride and plenty to have a good time. We're we're definitely in an island, so it's a different, different, different world down here. Yeah, it sounds like the perfect place to go relax and slow down and just be with your horse. Yes, ma'am. All right, then Sugar Ridge Ranch OBX, everybody. So be sure and check that out and get your reservations made because I know there's a lot of people listening, they're gonna want to come. So thanks for being on the show today, Maggie. I really appreciate it. Thank you so much for having me. And for everybody listening, thanks for listening. Check her out. Thank you. I hope you enjoyed today's show. Our souls wander in similar places. Even though we may not know each other, we touch the same wind, we walk under the same sky, and our hearts wander in the same dreams. We are one. Women, just like you and me. Thank you for listening.