Why I Started Watching Heartland

CBC’s Heartland started in 2007 and is now 20 seasons in. It's a popular Canadian family drama based on the books by Lauren Brooke.

It follows Amy Fleming (Amber Marshall), a teenager in Alberta who inherited her mother’s gift for horse whispering. Amy works with troubled horses using her intuition. While the show occasionally goes full soap opera—think plane crashes, fires, or shootings—it’s mostly just wholesome family fun.

If this sounds cheesy, it is—but Heartland is also incredibly soothing. I credit the show for my move from an adult amateur taking lessons in 2016 to the "insanity" of my life today. I now own three horses, see them twice a day, and compete in eventing, showjumping, and dressage (though not very well). As a result, my bank account is basically empty.

The Alberta landscape

Why did Heartland make me trade financial security for horses? A lot of it comes down to the wild beauty of the Alberta landscape.

The setting is a huge part of why the show works. The Heartland ranch is a massive property full of woods and streams. Watching Amy “join up” with a difficult horse in the round pen really hit home; I wanted to escape the office grind and get back to nature.

The horse-human bond

Or maybe it was the bond between horses and humans. Amy’s horse, Spartan, is a rescue she and her mother saved right before her mother’s fatal car accident.

Amy deals with her grief by bonding with Spartan, turning him from a dangerous, abused animal into a champion showjumper. The plot is a bit of a stretch—rehabbed horses rarely get that far in competition—but I still wanted the connection they shared.

Channeling my inner Amy Fleming

When I started watching Heartland, I was just taking lessons at a riding school. Since then, the show has helped me through my own horse-owning journey:

• My first horse: When I finally bought her, she was a handful. I only kept going through the falls, broken bones, and hits to my confidence because I was channeling my inner Amy Fleming.
• My second horse:  I bought her as a six-month-old filly. She was wary of strangers and so scared of being touched on the face that it took three months just to get a halter on her. I asked myself "WWAD" (What Would Amy Do?) and looked into natural horsemanship. She’s nearly three now, about to start work under saddle, and loves face pats.
• My third horse: When he got a mystery illness, I rewatched the episodes where Spartan is hospitalized. My horse pulled through, and we finally have a diagnosis and treatment plan. Amy’s struggles really helped me through the stress of it all.

Even if you aren't "horsey," there is plenty to love here: sweet characters, beautiful scenery, and a good PG drama.

Do yourself a favor and give it a stream—but don’t blame me if you end up Googling “horse riding for beginners.”You've been warned.

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• Amber Marshall Reflects on Her Long-Running Heartland Role
• Top 10 Saddest Heartland Moments That Made Us Cry
• Why Americans Can’t Get Enough of CBC’s Heartland