Empire Equestrian, LLC

Empire Equestrian, LLC Empire Equestrian is a small private hunter/jumper lesson & training facility The farm consists of a seven stall barn with tack room.

Empire Equestrian is situated on six acres in Castle Hayne, NC within minutes of Wilmington. Since we are a smaller facility, we are capable of having more individualized programs for our students & horses/ponies. Each stall has its own attached paddock to give horses/ponies the option of being inside or out. We only feed the highest quality of grain & hay available. We also have a 100' x 190' gra

ss riding arena conveniently located right outside of the barn. Owner/trainer Mackenzie Ring lives onsite & oversees the daily care of the horses/ponies as well as the lesson & training programs. While she is one of the younger trainers & barn owners in the area, she is very knowledgeable. She has almost 10 years of experience working in boarding facilities & caring for everything from OTTBs, show horses/ponies, to retirees. She has been riding since she was very young, but has always had a love for the hunter ring. While in middle school, she rode with Anne Sibson in Massachusetts. With Anne, she developed a solid foundation in proper equitation. When she moved to NC in high school, she began riding & working for Wonderland Farm. In the 7 years there, she became a more effective rider & began riding the green horses/ponies & tuning up lesson & sale horses. She also furthered her knowledge in the care & keeping of horses & developed her teaching skills. After her time at Wonderland, she went on to ride for O'shea Stables for a year. In that time, she continued to work with green horses/ponies, sale horses, & tune up lesson horses. She also took on two of her own projects. In the past two years, Mackenzie has successfully ran her own boarding & lesson facility. She is known for providing excellent care for both boarders & her own horses. Her lesson program caters to all levels of riders whether they wish to ride for pleasure or compete. Her show team has been successful in the local hunter shows & will be pursuing larger shows this fall.

Touch of Lace, Ella, is still on the search for her next person! This 12 yr old 16.1 TB mare is a 2’6”-3’ packing machin...
09/26/2025

Touch of Lace, Ella, is still on the search for her next person! This 12 yr old 16.1 TB mare is a 2’6”-3’ packing machine. She has auto changes and is honest over fences. Tons of miles on the C circuit in the jumper ring. She would make an excellent addition to an advanced lesson/lease program. Currently priced in the low 5s.

Finally reset our course for the fall!
09/23/2025

Finally reset our course for the fall!

Touch of Lace and  Reserve Champion in the .85 m Modified Child/Adult jumpers this morning
09/21/2025

Touch of Lace and Reserve Champion in the .85 m Modified Child/Adult jumpers this morning

Toasted Coconut is ready to start prepping for the 2026 show season with her next little rider! She was ridden by an 8 y...
09/18/2025

Toasted Coconut is ready to start prepping for the 2026 show season with her next little rider! She was ridden by an 8 yr old all summer and will happily wtc and pop over small jumps. She’s been to rated and schooling shows and has proven herself to be a competitive walk/trot and poles pony. She did summer camp and was a fabulous leadline pony. She will also happily trail ride with company and lead or follow. She loves taking care of the younger riders. She is available for off-site lease to an approved show program; would also consider selling to the perfect home.

Coming available! Touch of Lace is a 12 yr old 16.1 TB mare. She has spent the past 6 yrs being brought along by her ama...
09/16/2025

Coming available! Touch of Lace is a 12 yr old 16.1 TB mare. She has spent the past 6 yrs being brought along by her amateur owner from the 2’ through the 1.0 m jumpers and schooling up to 4’ at home. Lots of C show miles in the jumper ring. Can easily go from stall to ring and doesn’t need to see the jumps. Has her lead changes and takes a joke. She will babysit in the .75 through 1.0 m all day. Her owner is ready to move up to the 1.10-1.20 which is the only reason she is available. She will be with me at the Carolina Horse Park this weekend and can be tried after the 1.0 m jumpers on Saturday.

We had a busy day at Hanover Stables schooling show with 11 riders and 8 horses showing. We had riders from leadline to ...
09/14/2025

We had a busy day at Hanover Stables schooling show with 11 riders and 8 horses showing. We had riders from leadline to the Open Hunters. Everyone rode well, and all of the horses and ponies were on their best behavior!

09/11/2025

Riding lessons are more than time practicing your skills in the saddle. They’re opportunities to grow as both a rider and a horseman. But to get the most out of every minute, it takes more than showing up and hoping for the best. From preparation to mindset, small choices can make a big difference in your progress. Here are ten simple but powerful ways to maximize your next lesson.

1. Listen to Your Trainer
During a lesson, your priority should be to focus on what your trainer is saying. You’ve paid to learn from them, so keep your ears open! Enter your lesson with the intention to listen rather than speak. This goes for apologizing as well. You don’t need to apologize throughout your lesson. Your trainer knows you didn’t mean to make a mistake. Instead, use your focus to improve, not to beat yourself up or make excuses.

2. Keep Going
When performing an exercise, assume that you should keep going until your trainer tells you to stop. Preemptively pausing or stopping an exercise may show that you’re not fully committed to the lesson at hand. Your trainer knows what is hard and how hard to push you-trust them enough to see their pedagogy vision through.

3. Arrive On Time
Keep in mind that your trainer has a busy schedule. Arriving late to a lesson not only impacts their schedule for the day, but also takes away time from your lesson. Being timely helps to create a trusting relationship between you and your trainer.

4. Show Up Prepared
When you arrive at a lesson, be prepared to hop right on your horse or pony. Come appropriately prepared so that you aren’t putting on spurs or other equipment at the last minute.

5. Prioritize Your Fitness
Put some time and effort into keeping yourself in shape out of the saddle. This could look adding workouts to your routine or even offering to do some extra physical activity and chores around the barn. Being fit outside of the ring is essential to maintaining your athleticism atop a horse.

6. Remember What You’ve Learned
It’s important to bring the work you’ve done in previous lessons to your current lesson. Keep in mind the areas where you’ve struggled or succeeded and use that past knowledge to build upon those skills.

7. Listen to Your Horse
Never forget that your priority in the ring is your horse. Keep a close eye, ear, and hand on your mount to make sure you’re both operating at your best ability. If you discover something is off with your horse, always speak up—even if you aren’t sure. Your trainer will help you assess and you find the best solution for the horse.

8. Stay in the Moment
Your attention should be focused on what’s happening in the present during a lesson. Not what happened at school or work that day. Not about the show next weekend. What’s going on right now in your lesson. Watch other people do the exercises before you, so you can get a handle on how it rides. Notice how others excel and what mistakes to avoid. Appreciate the time you have with your trainer and truly listen to their guidance and advice.

9. Be Considerate
In private and group lessons, always be considerate of who you may be sharing the ring with. This includes not interrupting another lesson with a personal question or issue. Stay attentive and mindful to keep yourself and those around you safe.

10. Don’t Forget the Basics
At the end of the day, perhaps the four most important words to remember are some of the most basic reminders: heels down, eyes up.

Every lesson is a chance to learn, not just from your trainer, but from your horse and yourself. By staying focused, prepared, and considerate, you set the stage for steady improvement and stronger partnerships. Keep these tips in mind the next time you head to the ring, and see how much more you take away from each ride.

📎 Save and share this article at https://www.theplaidhorse.com/2025/09/10/10-ways-to-get-the-most-out-of-your-next-lesson/

Envy’s first time over fences was no big deal! I am having fun helping  develop this stunning young thoroughbred hunter ...
09/11/2025

Envy’s first time over fences was no big deal! I am having fun helping develop this stunning young thoroughbred hunter prospect.

09/07/2025

It's easy to get caught up in the details and endless schedules of lessons and shows. But Geoff Teall cautions against forgetting the most basic truth: horses are still horses. He reminds riders that giving horses real downtime is just as important as training them in the ring.

Teall believes riders too often project human preferences onto their horses. We may love a hot shower at the end of the day, but horses don’t. We may value polished manes and tails, but horses don’t. “I’m quite sure that they don’t like braiding and pulling and twitching and trimming and all of the nonsense,” he says.

Instead, horses thrive when they can live more naturally with turnout, room to move, grass to graze, and other horses to socialize with. Allowing them this downtime is not indulgent; it’s a crucial part of keeping them sound in both body and mind.

One of Teall’s strongest pieces of advice is simply to stop. “Stop picking at him. Stop clutching the reins. Stop smothering him. Stop fussing. Just stop.” Horses don’t need to be micromanaged every second. Constant fussing creates tension, not progress.

Instead, Teall urges riders to make time in the saddle count. Be clear, specific, and fair when you ride, then reward the horse with release, rest, and time off. A horse learns far more from short, focused training sessions followed by downtime than from endless drilling.

Teall even builds deliberate rest periods into his horses’ lives. He likes to pull shoes, let manes and coats grow, and give his horses time to get dirty and relax. This isn’t laziness; it’s an investment in longevity. Horses that are allowed to recharge come back fresher, happier, and more willing to work.

“No work for a period of time makes the horse more willing the rest of the year,” he writes. That willingness is what sustains long-term performance and prevents burnout.

🔗 Continue reading this article at https://www.theplaidhorse.com/2025/09/03/downtime-matters-letting-horses-be-horses/

08/30/2025

Productive lesson with and her young OTTB, Envy

Address

3630 Prince George Avenue
Castle Hayne, NC
28429

Opening Hours

Tuesday 9am - 6pm
Wednesday 9am - 6pm
Thursday 9am - 6pm
Friday 9am - 6pm
Saturday 9am - 6pm
Sunday 9am - 3pm

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