Heading to Middleburg, Virginia anytime soon? After reading all there is to offer in Salamander Middleburg: Virginia’s Five-Star Equestrian Estate, you’ll wish you were. Best of all, you can! Neatly tucked into Virginia hunt country minutes from downtown Middleburg, this is one secret worth sharing.
On my second visit to the resort, I sampled a selection of equine-themed activities that don’t require any equestrian experience at all. If you’ve always had a love of horses but riding just isn’t for you, Salamander has you covered — and if you do ride, there’s plenty here for you too.
Although I’m an avid equestrian and horse owner, I have many friends who don’t ride, and I’m asked frequently about vacation options that welcome non-riders. Here’s what stood out most across two visits.
1. A Horse & Carriage Tour through Middleburg
The age-old art of a horse and carriage ride is alive and well at Salamander. Why not ride in style and let someone else do the driving? There’s nothing more relaxing than a carriage ride through Middleburg with the ever-charming coachman James Houston. I was picked up at the front of the resort, and as we left the property along the tree-lined road, I was handed a mimosa to enjoy as I listened to the sound of the horses pulling the carriage along the path. With the clip-clop of hooves, we pulled up alongside a field of broodmares, all eager to greet us.
We stopped for pastries and to refill our champagne flutes before heading down the road to a nearby vineyard, and past the Chronicle of the Horse offices, as if this method of transportation was nothing out of the ordinary. The view from up in the carriage really does let you see things differently — a great way to start a stay at the resort.
Setting off on the carriage tour.
2. Sunrise Yoga in the Stable
What better place than the equestrian center to spend the early morning doing yoga as the sun rises! With the horses in the nearby stalls enjoying their breakfast, I guarantee you can’t have this experience at your local gym. Led by Carolyn Connell, this yoga session was literally breathtaking — we watched the sunrise as we were guided through each position. I’m not so sure the horses understood what we were doing in their aisle, though.
3. Yoga on Horseback
Definitely a memorable morning. Designed for riders, non-riders, and curious guests in between, Yoga on Horseback gives you a chance to improve your balance, flexibility, strength, and posture both on and off the horse. My daughter and I tried this 30-minute session, immediately following Sunrise Yoga in the Stable, and we were amazed at how easy it was.
Using the horse for balance, the movements were carried out one after another under the guidance of the same instructor. Since we’d just practiced everything on the ground, doing it on horseback added a new dimension to the same quest for mindfulness. The horse’s breathing helped steady our own. Wonder how the horse stood still through all of it? The equine instructor team stood by our side, with two spotters flanking us and another holding the horse.
Yoga on horseback — steadier than it sounds.
4. The Rider’s Relief Massage
After a morning of yoga in the stable and on horseback, the Rider’s Relief Massage was next. Welcomed at the Spa Reception by name, I was greeted by Natalie Hampshire, then Assistant Director of the Spa. Described as a treatment ideal for equestrian connoisseurs, the massage focused on releasing muscle tension and mobilizing the joints in the areas riders overwork most — calves, forearms, hands, and lower back.
My spa specialist worked up and down my body, applying just the right amount of pressure. Offered in 50-minute or 80-minute options, I’d recommend springing for the longer one; we wanted it to go on indefinitely. Massage services are also available for your equine companion, at the equestrian center of course.
5. Salamander’s Equi-Spective Experience
With the goal of developing leadership skills, Equi-Spective is a self-discovery program uniting horse and human. On my first attempt, an unexpected morning freeze meant the program had to be postponed — with the welfare of the horses in mind, Sheryl Jordan and I agreed it was better to wait for the right conditions than push through. I got my chance with my daughter on a return visit.
While observing and working with the horse, participants explore their own ability to communicate, focusing on relationship skills to develop the art of leadership. I was asked to listen with intention and follow my instincts. Perception can quickly become reality, and despite being a horse owner myself, I realized I needed to unlearn habits that were a result of my own assumptions rather than the truth. Working in the round pen with an unbridled horse, free of all equipment, I was asked to guide the horse through a series of tasks using only confidence, trust, and clear communication.
I was amazed how quickly my daughter could lead the horse through the connection she were forming, without pushing, pulling, or trying to overpower an animal with ten times my strength. If she lost focus, the horse did too. If she wasn’t confident in her request, the horse was unsure what to do next. When she applied herself, the horse immediately picked up on her own self-carriage and confidence.
The skills went well beyond the round pen that afternoon — we were both able to achieve more precise communication with our own horses at home, and I’ve applied the same approach with colleagues at work. I’d highly recommend this for families looking to connect, friends or couples, and groups of colleagues looking to develop leadership skills together. The horse, in the end, knows more than we do about this stuff.
My daughter working with “Snowy” in the round pen, learning to channel energy as partners.
An Evening with Salamander’s General Manager
On an earlier visit, I sat down with then-General Manager Trey Matheu in the resort’s library, in front of the fireplace, for a conversation about how Salamander came to be. (Salamander’s top leadership role is now called Managing Director, currently held by Scott Little — but the story behind the resort’s early days is worth telling as it happened.) The dark-paneled room was filled with guests: a couple playing chess behind us, friends enjoying an evening cocktail, a family of young and old laughing together.
Mr. Matheu noted that Sheila Johnson had provided much of the library’s book collection herself from her own personal library, alongside volumes purchased from the Middleburg Community Library and the National Sporting Library and Museum. From biographies to classics, guests are welcome to borrow any of them during their stay.
Salamander’s library features thousands of books, many drawn from Sheila Johnson’s own collection and local Middleburg institutions.
Gold Cup Wine Bar & Harriman’s Grill
Walking through the living room towards Harriman’s Grill for dinner, we passed a state-of-the-art cooking studio that hosts culinary classes and guest chefs, and can serve as a private dining venue for up to 20 guests. Adjacent to it, the Gold Cup Wine Bar is designed to look like a winery tasting room, featuring local Virginia wines served throughout the day and evening, with tastings conducted year-round alongside visiting winemakers.
Pair a glass with a small plate of Piedmont-inspired cuisine and you’ll leave with a genuine understanding of Middleburg and Virginia wine country.
Staying true to the equestrian theme throughout the resort, Harriman’s Grill features stable- and stall-inspired design elements, with a menu built around fresh, seasonal ingredients and farm-to-table elements — the chef’s garden sits just outside the restaurant. I dined on oysters and swordfish, while my daughter preferred the truffled mac and cheese with chicken. The restaurant overlooks the stables in the distance, and we watched the season’s first flurries fall outside as we ate.
Toward the end of the meal, the chef greeted us tableside, genuinely curious what we thought, before making his way around the room checking in on other tables. When we mentioned we were ready to turn in, our waiter packed our desserts to go without missing a beat.
Dinner at Harriman’s Grill.
Back in the room, the fire had been lit, fresh towels set out, and the next day’s itinerary typed and placed on the pillow — the kind of small-touch service that defines a stay here. Riding boots left outside the door overnight come back cleaned by morning, a detail any equestrian will appreciate after a day at the barn.
Beyond the Resort
There’s plenty in the surrounding area worth building into your stay: the Upperville Horse & Colt Show, the Virginia Gold Cup Races, horse-themed shopping and antiquing in Middleburg, the annual Hunt Country Stable Tour, a polo lesson, or an evening of Twilight Polo at Great Meadow. And for those who want time in the saddle, the resort’s own trail rides pair you with a guide and horse for a canter across the Middleburg countryside, with custom rides tailored to any riding ability or discipline — bring-your-own-horse options are available too.
Whether you set out for a sunset bike ride, a garden stroll, or s’mores at the fire pit, Salamander Middleburg is designed to send you home rested, relaxed, and already planning your next visit.
For the full story of arriving, settling in, and exploring the equestrian center itself, read our companion piece, Salamander Middleburg: Virginia’s Five-Star Equestrian Estate.