Heartland: The Canadian Family Drama with Heart and Horses

Heartland Sisters

Back in October of 2007, the Canadian family drama Heartland, loosely based on the series of books by Lauren Brooke, debuted on CBC, chronicling the lives of sisters Amy and Lou Fleming and their grandfather Jack Bartlett set against the vistas of the Alberta Rocky Mountains and follows the highs and lows of life on a horse ranch. Amy and Lou’s mother was killed in a car accident and Amy decides to keep her mother’s dream alive by healing abused and neglected horses.

The cast includes Amber Marshall as Amy Fleming, who was only 15 years old when her mother died in a car accident, bringing back her older sister Lou (Michelle Morgan), who had left for New York City four years earlier, to help run Heartland, the Fleming family’s ranch. They live together with their grandfather, Jack Fleming (Shaun Johnston), who takes in Ty Borden (Graham Wardle), a juvenile who was abused by his step-father Wade and sent to Heartland as part of his probation.

Heartland: The Flemings

Ty eventually decides to stay on at Heartland with Jack treating him like a son; Ty and Amy end up in an on-again, off-again relationship; a relationship that seems to be going strong in the current episodes. Also, in later episodes Amy and Lou’s father Tim (Chris Potter), who left them when they were younger, comes back into the picture after their mother’s death.

I have only had the opportunity to see a few episodes of Heartland, but I can attest that it is a wonderful family drama about a complicated but loving family on a picturesque ranch where the trials and tribulations of running a family-owned ranch is depicted in a honest and heart-warming way.

Heartland: Amy and Ty

Heartland is currently in its fifth season with an all-new episode set to air on CBC this Sunday, February 26 at 7 PM. Episodes of past seasons can be seen here in the States on the Gospel Music Channel.

You can learn more about Heartland here.