Is There Anything Horse People Hate About Heartland?
Heartland, a CBC series about a young, gifted horse trainer named Amy Fleming, is the longest-running one-hour drama in Canadian history for a reason. Throughout its seventeen seasons (and counting), the Fleming-Morris family has been ranching, squabbling, getting married, splitting up, saving the day, and much more—predominantly from horseback.
Okay, I admit—the title of this article is a little misleading. Most horse people—and plenty of other people, too—adore Heartland. I’ve seen every episode and many of them two or three times. It may be the ultimate drama for barn rats of all ages.
Sure, the show can be a little heavy on drama, things get cheesy once in a while, and the characters deal with far more than their share of high-risk situations. But what’s not to love about a family-friendly saga full of likable characters, stunning scenery, and beautiful horses? Well, if we’re being picky, here are some things we’ve noticed that many horse people will hate about Heartland:
1. Magical Horse-Hub Hudson
Hudson is the nearest town to the Fleming-Morris family ranch, and it’s portrayed as a tiny rural Canadian town that only has one diner—Maggie’s Diner—and not much else. It’s the kind of town where everyone knows everybody.
There’s only one problem: Hudson also has a classy polo club, an active thoroughbred racing scene, a rodeo, a hunt club, a couple of opulent equestrian facilities, and much more all within easy traveling distance. In short, Hudson is an improbable horse mecca that would make most equestrians drool. Anyone who has lived in a town that small knows Hudson is a fever dream.
2. Dramatic Concern Over Fallen Riders
The drama in Heartland isn’t confined to family matters. There’s lots of riding drama too. Just watch one or two scenes with riders falling off, and you’ll see what I mean.
It doesn’t matter how many times someone falls off, how experienced they are, or how soft they land. The onlookers always gasp, rush to the rider’s side, and make a big show of concern. Yes, safety is important, but most horse people witnessing what looks like a minor fall wouldn’t get that worked up. Aren’t most of these characters professional horse trainers, cattle ranchers, and rodeo pros?
In some future episode, I fervently hope that Jack glances out the kitchen window, notices that Amy has come off an unruly client horse, nonchalantly slides open the window, and yells, “You good?”
3. Lack of Discussion About Serious Head Injuries
Heartland is full of human peril, but equestrians may notice one thing in particular—Amy experiences two comas due to traumatic head injuries. The first occurs after her car accident in the first episode. The second is the result of Amy taking a front hoof to the back of the head in season seven. After the second incident, Amy is even blinded temporarily.
Surprisingly, there’s little to no mention of her previous coma after Amy’s second injury. In real life, her doctors would probably strongly advise her to avoid further head trauma, and some doctors might even suggest she quit riding altogether out of caution. Given the prevalence of traumatic brain injuries in riders, it’s surprising that Heartland didn’t delve into this issue just a little more thoroughly without glossing over Amy’s past medical history.
4. Lou’s Hefty Resume
Amy’s sister, Lou, is an ambitious woman who chases her dreams and accomplishes them. That’s an easy inspirational theme to get on board with, right? Well, maybe—except Lou has so many pots on her metaphorical stove that any real human being in her situation would crawl under the sofa and never come out again.
True, Lou loses her job in New York, but then she takes on a host of other responsibilities that seem to continue in the background even as she adds more to her plate. Let’s review just a few: She buys and runs Maggie’s Diner, becomes a mommy blogger, works as an independent financial planner, starts a jam business, writes a book, goes on a book tour, builds a dude ranch, cooks nutritious meals daily for her dude ranch guests and her extended family, starts a Maggie’s franchise in New York, and raises two kids. Oh yeah—and she’s also the mayor of Hudson.
Horse people are a busy group with plenty of tasks to juggle every day, and we don’t need any more unrealistic expectations thrown our way. Yes, Lou does occasionally hire a helper or briefly express her exhaustion. However, the show often casts her move to Hudson as a simplified, less high-achieving version of her previous life, and the dots just don’t quite connect. Sometimes the show’s implication that Lou’s do-it-all-or-bust lifestyle is even remotely possible or healthy can be a touch aggravating.
5. Amy’s Mythical Skill at Every Horse Sport
To put it mildly, Amy Fleming is a talented rider. But, despite all the feel-good moments her skill inspires, does she have to be quite so good so quickly at every horse sport she tries?
In one episode, Amy beats a bunch of pro barrel racers in competition with very little preparation. She’s almost immediately competent at every other horse sport she attempts during the show, too, including jockeying thoroughbreds, trick riding, endurance racing, and plenty more.
As a rider who works all week every week just to be halfway decent at mastering the intricacies of one horse sport, I find Amy’s instant skill a little hard to swallow. No wonder shows like this always have jealous rivals sulking in the background—I would be doing the same thing in their situation. Hopefully with less eye-rolling, hair-flipping, and audible scoffing, though.
Why Do Horse People Love Heartland So Much?
In the end, these sorts of issues are an expected part of television dramas, and I’m certainly still going to devour every new episode. No, a show in this genre can’t dedicate the screen time necessary to depict every horse handling reality perfectly, but Heartland makes far more effort to accurately portray horse sport, equine illness, and training issues than most movies and television shows. Horses are frequently the stars of the show.
Even when the equine characters fade into the background, the show’s writers use horse subplots and themes to highlight and inform the human characters’ struggles. Heartland even benefits from plenty of real equestrians behind the scenes and in front of the camera.
These attributes along with compelling storylines, rich character development, surly cowboy humor, and unforgettable characters are a winning combination that doesn’t come along very often. Bravo, Heartland!
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Photo by CBC
