Heartland is a television drama originally based on a series of books by Lauren Brooke. Heartland follows my character Amy Fleming, her family, and the horses who they help. For those who have seen Heartland and know a little bit about me, know exactly why I fell in love with this role. I had a few of the Heartland books on my shelf growing up, so when I first heard about the role, I already had some familiarity with the characters and story.
Heartland is now the longest running one-hour scripted drama in Canada with 259 hour-long episodes, as well as a Christmas movie. Our set is a beautiful ranch in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, as well as a studio space in Calgary and vistas scattered around Southwestern Alberta. We also use the town of High River as Heartland’s “Hudson” where you will find many of our locations, including Maggie’s Diner. Please note this location is only a set and can only be viewed from the outside as it is not an open, functioning diner. With such an incredible “office” to work at every day you can see why I love my job.
The Heartland horses are primarily owned by one person and are brought in daily to work on the show. I am often asked if any of my horses get to “act” alongside me. Recently after a position opened, my horse Hawk was able to join the cast. In the recent seasons Hawk can be seen playing the role of Spartan – my character’s favourite horse. This works out well for me, because I get to spend time with Hawk at work during my busy time, and don’t feel guilty when I take my other horses out for a ride on my off time. You can read more about Hawk, and my other animals, here.
And it’s not just the horses on TV that we heal each episode. I believe Heartland has healing powers of its own for the viewers, and even for all of us who are a part of it. There is something about the energy of this show. It really does have heart.
If you want to learn more about the show you can visit CBC's page for Heartland here or follow along with the show on social media: