Keeping in Shape with Cupcake: The Salamander Equestrian Center Team Shares the Mini Horse’s Routine

Written by Bill Kent | Photos by Caroline Gray 

Middleburg has been a home for many celebrities, but in recent years, there’s one who continues to turn heads and stop traffic. Cupcake, a miniature horse that measures 32 inches tall and 48 inches long, has been Salamander Middleburg’s official mascot and equine ambassador for well over a decade.

“Everybody loves Cupcake,” says Ashley Farrell, Salamander’s Equestrian Center manager. “She attends almost every special event at the Salamander, so she has met just about everyone you can imagine who has visited here and their families and friends.”

Though Cupcake spends most of her time on the grounds of the Salamander, where she lives in an immaculate barn, she can also be seen on weekdays pulling her custom Meadowbrook cart through town. Terri Tokarczyk, Cupcake’s lead trainer, holds the reins, guiding Cupcake through Middleburg’s main streets and quiet neighborhoods, sometimes going as far south as The Hill School.

“If people want a quick photo, we’ll pause,” Tokarczyk says, “but we don’t linger. Most days, we’re on the clock, getting Cupcake the exercise she needs before she goes to an event.”

Tokarczyk adds that, in a lifetime of riding and caring for horses, she’s never encountered a horse who has a greater effect on people. “She brings joy. When people see Cupcake, they light up.” 

Miniature horses have been bred to be small — usually less than 40 inches in height. What they lack in stature they gain in longevity, as they can live to be 35. Most act as companions for other horses. Some also serve as guides for those who may be blind but can’t use dogs. A few American hotels employ dogs, cats, cattle, birds, and llamas as mascots. The Salamander is the only five-star resort with a miniature horse.

“When Ms. Johnson asked us to find a miniature horse for the resort equestrian program that guests could visit and interact with, I was hesitant because minis are notorious for being a little feisty,” Farrell shares. She adds, “Like small dogs, they might be tiny and look cute, but they don’t always behave that way.”

Fortunately, Cupcake is as gentle and charming as she appears. “We really got very lucky with her,” Farrell says. 

At 13 years old, Cupcake is actually two years older than the Salamander Resort. Her dam, Felicity, was pregnant when rescued by Joan Moore and Nancy Payne from the Middleburg Humane Foundation, and gave birth to a 20-pound filly on May 21, 2011, at Chipmunk Hill in Upperville. Cupcake was later rehomed to Dream Catcher Equine in Marshall with Lacy Warner and came to live at the Salamander Equestrian Center stable in 2017.

Johnson insisted that Cupcake, and the entire Salamander herd, have the best care, feed, and tack. Staff traveled to Pennsylvania for a custom driving harness and cart and to West Virginia for Tanner Farms’ first-cut hay. She eats a flax meal supplement and the occasional carrot, apple, or Werther’s Original Butterscotch hard candy as a treat.

Because Cupcake is not shod, she wears hoof boots to protect her feet when she drives her cart or visits the hotel. She gets a full-body massage once a month from physiotherapist Kendra McQuillan and regular vet visits from Dr. Alexis Theiss of Paragon Equine. 

Theiss attributes Cupcake’s excellent condition to “the staff at Salamander Resort. They have meticulously cared for Cupcake, allowing her to be a healthy, productive member of the team. She is without a doubt the tiny jewel of the stables!”

Cupcake is also beloved throughout the hotel. Merchandise featuring the mini is for sale in the resort’s gift shop, and children’s menus feature an illustration of Cupcake that guests can color in. There are plans in place to throw a party on May 21 to celebrate Cupcake’s 14th birthday. 

Farrell says she turns down many requests each month to bring Cupcake to events outside of the Salamander. “We don’t ask Cupcake to travel. This is her home. This is where she is comfortable and confident in her job.”

When asked about a special memory with Cupcake, Farrell marvels at one instance of the mini horse’s ability to understand a guest’s special needs.

“We had a guest in a motorized wheelchair reserve a private session with Cupcake. Cupcake hasn’t had any formal training with wheelchairs, but she is very sensitive, patient, and accepting. We placed Cupcake’s lead rope in the guest’s hand. Cupcake moved forward just a little bit, and the guest moved the wheelchair a little bit, and soon the guest was experiencing that wonderful feeling of connection and partnership that horses can give us.”

Cupcake spends every day with members of the Equestrian Center’s staff. That includes Farrell and Tokarczyk, as well as Zoe LaBillois, Ashleigh Derrickson, Shannon Huth, and Equestrian Center supervisor and Cupcake’s head groom, Anna Fiorelino, who braids her mane, does her body clipping, and curates her wardrobe.

“Cupcake has an outfit for every occasion,” Fiorelino says, “including 30 bows to don her mane and tail; classic black or white bows for when she attends black-tie weddings; a pink tutu worn to welcome the American Ballet Theatre to Salamander; a patriotic get-up for the Fourth of July; and a halter with crystals, bunny ears, and a cotton tail for when she searches for her Easter basket.”

Tokarczyk takes Cupcake and her cart on varying drives around the Salamander grounds and into downtown Middleburg and the surrounding neighborhoods. 

Cupcake’s focus “constantly amazes me,” Tokarczyk shares. Motorcycles, cars, and trucks don’t turn Cupcake’s head. She ignores the whine of lawn mowers and leaf blowers. 

“The only time I ever saw Cupcake annoyed was when someone in town made a remark about horse droppings and sanitation. Cupcake heard it, and I’m not saying Cupcake understands English, but every time we go out driving, she holds her ‘business’ until we are closer to home,” Tokarczyk adds. 

Given Cupcake’s popularity, Johnson has decided it’s time to get Cupcake a best friend. 

“A partner or a teammate that she can mentor,” Farrell says, “so instead of having one amazing mini, we can have two. An ideal match would be of the same adorable size of 32 inches with a friendly personality. We’re hoping to find her friend before her birthday, not just as a gift for her, but for all of us.” ML 

Featured photo, left to right: Anna Fiorelino, Terri Tokarczyk, Cupcake, Gizmo, Ashley Farrell, and Zoe LaBillois.

Published in the January 2025 issue of Middleburg Life.