How Heartland Films with Horses: Training and Behind-the-Scenes Facts

If you watch Heartland, you know the horses aren’t just background props—they’re practically main characters. Fans love Spartan as much as they love Amy Fleming. But how do they actually get these animals to do what they need on camera without it looking completely chaotic?

Amber Marshall, who plays Amy, says Spartan is “beautiful, majestic, calm, and always curious.” But getting horses to stand in the right spot—or act like they’re really upset when told—takes a massive team.

Leila Basen, one of the writers, has been around horses since she was five. A lot of what you see on screen is pulled straight from her own life at the barn. That’s why it feels real — it comes from people who actually understand how a horse thinks.

The real work is done by a legendary horse trainer named John Scott. The guy has over 160 horses for film work. Some are calm enough for actors to ride safely, and the stunt horses that can stand on two legs or get scared when the story needs some excitement. Spartan isn’t actually one horse — the character is played by two Quarter Horses, Rocky and Stormy. For bigger stunts, other trained horses like Zyada and Sunny step in.

Teaching Horses to Be “Bad”

The training part is where it gets wild. It’s way harder to teach a horse to misbehave than to just be good. They call it “adverse horse training.” Sometimes a wrangler will literally hide under a trailer with an air hose or an umbrella just to make the horse jump or act up. They have to teach the horse to a handful on cue, but also make sure it knows not to keep that behavior up on its own.

Even Graham Wardle (Ty), who didn’t know much about riding when he started. But after years on set, he’s totally at ease around horses. He has a soft spot for Sugarfoot, the little white mini horse on the show. “He thinks he’s a big horse,” Graham says. “He has no idea he’s little — he’s just all heart.”

Amber Marshall has been riding since she was a kid and spends her free time roping and training with her own horse, Cash. On set, she prefers to give the cues herself instead of having a wrangler hidden just out of frame. “Horses pick up on body language,” she says. “I’d rather learn the technique and do it myself so it looks natural.”

Sometimes, not knowing what will happen is the best part. A horse might nudge a boom mic or knock Amber’s hat off right in the middle of a serious, emotional scene. Instead of cutting it, they usually just keep it. It’s a living, breathing set, and those little unplanned moments make Heartland feel like home.

The show isn’t really about fixing broken horses. It’s about how those animals push the humans in the story — and the people watching at home — to connect a little better. It takes patience, proper training, and a lot of real-world horse sense.