The Saddle Club

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This article is about The Saddle Club TV series. For information on the book series by Bonnie Bryant, go to The Saddle Club (books).

The Saddle Club is an Australian television series that is written by Jason Abelson and Kate Barris, and directed by Arnie Custo and Stephen Mann. The Crawfords Television production house produces the series in conjunction with Protocol Entertainment of Canada. The series is based on a popular series children's books written by Bonnie Bryant. The show, which began to be showcased in 2001, centred around the lives of three girls who take care of horses. Within the next years, new characters have been added to the show.It has enjoyed international success and attracted viewers of a wide range of age groups. In the United States, it airs on Discovery Kids (until 2007, when it moved to PBS Kids). The program is shown on the ABC and FOX8 in Australia, on YTV network in Canada and on CITV in the UK.

The stars of The Saddle Club have recorded four albums since 2002, all of which have made the Australian charts. Heli Simpson, who plays Veronica DiAngelo on the program has released a solo album in 2003 called Princess Veronica which also charted in Australia. A number of singles have also been released by The Saddle Club group as a whole and also solo singles by Heli Simpson and Melanie and Ashley.

The popularity of The Saddle Club in Australia was shown at the 2004 Sydney Royal Easter Show with live performances on horses by the cast members sold out each day at the Sydney SuperDome with crowds of 7000 to 8000 and many fans unable to get in. Pony clubs have also become more popular in Australia as a result of the success of the series.

Contents

[edit] Cast

  • Sophie Bennett as Stephanie 'Stevie' Lake
  • Keenan MacWilliam as Carolena 'Carole' Hanson
  • Lara Jean Marshall as Lisa Atwood
  • Heli Simpson as Veronica DiAngelo
  • Brett Tucker as Max Regenery
  • Catherine Wilkin as Mrs. Reg
  • Glenn Meldrum as Phil Marsten
  • Kia Luby as Kristi Cavanaugh
  • Marisa Siketa as Melanie Atwood #1 (Season 1)
  • Jessie Jacobs as Melanie Atwood #2 (Season 2)
  • Janelle Corlass-Brown as Ashley
  • Nathan Phillips as Red O'Malley #1 (Season 1)
  • James O'Dea as Red O'Malley #2 (Season 2)
  • Alex Marriott as Scooter
  • Nikolai Nikolaeff as Drew Regnery (Season 2)
  • Maggie King as Dr. Judy Barker
  • Cathy Godbold as Deborah Hale
  • Sophie Hensser as Megan
  • Anthony Hammer as Sam
  • Marie-Louise Walker as Eleanor Atwood
  • Patrick Harvey as Jake
  • Daniel Daperis as Liam
  • Chris Kirby as Col. Hanson
  • Melanie Ryder as Helen DiAngelo
  • Tony Hawkins as Frank DiAngelo
  • Kate Ellis as Chelsea Smith

[edit] Episode Guide

There are 26 episodes for Season 1 & 2

Season 1

  • 1. The Saddle Club
  • 2. Work Horses
  • 3. Trail Ride - Part 1
  • 4. Trail Ride - Part 2
  • 5. Horse Shy
  • 6. Mystery Weekend
  • 7. School Horse
  • 8. Star Quality
  • 9. Herdbound
  • 10. Greener Pastures - Part 1
  • 11. Greener Pastures - Part 2
  • 12. Jumping to Conclusions
  • 13. Set Up
  • 14. Over a Bit
  • 15. Gift Horse
  • 16. Flying Change
  • 17. Found Horse - Part 1
  • 18. Found Horse - Part 2
  • 19. Jump Off
  • 20. Across The Board
  • 21. Track Record
  • 22. First Refusal
  • 23. Horse Play
  • 24. High Horse
  • 25. Bridle Path - Part 1
  • 26. Bridle Path - Part 2


Season 2

  • 1. A Horse of A Different Colour - Part 1
  • 2. A Horse of A Different Colour - Part 2
  • 3. Show Ponies - Part 1
  • 4. Show Ponies - Part 2
  • 5. The Ride of His Life
  • 6. Love Is In the Air
  • 7. Horsenapped
  • 8. Au revoir Dorothée
  • 9. The Home Straight
  • 10. Running Free - Part 1
  • 11. Running Free - Part 2
  • 12. Race Against Time
  • 13. Stevie's Bad Day
  • 14. Fillies vs. Colts
  • 15. Blind Faith
  • 16. Join Up
  • 17. Tenderfoot
  • 18. Bloodlines
  • 19. Foster Horse - Part 1
  • 20. Foster Horse - Part 2
  • 21. Foster Horse - Part 3
  • 22. High Stakes - Part 1
  • 23. High Stakes - Part 2
  • 24. Odd Girl Out
  • 25. Horse's Keeper
  • 26. Finishing Strongly


Season 3

TBA

[edit] Characters

Stevie Lake is a tomboy and dumped her full name Stephanie as a child. Now, tired of being one of the boys, but uncomfortable with the girly stuff that other girls her age are interested in, she clings to the one thing that remains constant – her love of horses. She has blonde hair and blue eyes. Stevie is impulsive, irrepressible and stubborn and once she devises a scheme there is no chance of talking her out of it. Her "act now, think later" approach to life gets her into trouble, but when she enters the show ring, she becomes another person. Stevie’s parents, George and Catherine, are both lawyers with hectic schedules. They have agreed to pay for one riding lesson a week but Stevie must work at the stables in exchange for more lessons. She has a twin brother, Alex, and two other brothers, Chad and Michael. Stevie is very comfortable around boys, until she meets Phil Marsten, who develops a crush on her. They begin dating later on in the series and is the only one of the Saddle Club to have a true boyfriend. Stevie rides Comanche a bay gelding, until she rescues Belle, a black Arabian mare, after her owner abandons her. She is not very neat. She hates Veronica and is always playing pranks and having fights with her.

Carole Hanson is a bright girl with a natural riding ability. She has black hair and brown eyes. Devastated when her mother died of cancer, she almost gave up riding. But her father, U.S. Colonel Mitch Hanson, reminded Carole that her mother would have wanted her to follow her passion. She is sort-of forgetful and sometimes a know-it-all. With money left by her mother, she bought the stunning buckskin gelding, Starlight. Carole knows her future lies with horses, but there are many exciting paths to follow and she doesn't know which road to take. Her grades are high enough for her to become a veterinarian but she would also love to breed and train thoroughbreds. She wouldn’t mind being a professional steeplechase jockey, or maybe travelling the world teaching dressage clinics. Whatever career she chooses, her most immediate goal is to be the very best rider she can be. Like the other Saddle Club girls, Carole is becoming a young woman. Her father has started dating again and Carole must wrestle with her feelings at having to share her father with someone else.

Lisa Atwood is an honor-roll student struggling to overcome the ‘good girl’ image. She is the oldest of the Saddle Club at 13. She has long brown hair and brown eyes. She starts out riding Patch, the perfectly trained school horse at Pine Hollow and eventually graduates to riding Prancer, the chestnut thoroughbred mare. Stevie and Carole didn't appear to like her until she saves Stevie's life from a nasty and deadly prank Veronica pulled on her. Lisa is determined to make a show jumper out of the ex-racehorse, but the blue ribbon prize remains hard to achieve. Her mother Eleanor wants her daughter to be the best at everything. Consequently, Lisa is a classic perfectionist - always striving to be that little bit better than everybody else. Lisa gets on well with boys and her confidence was given an extra boost when teenage heartthrob, Skye Ransom, took a special interest in Lisa while filming at Pine Hollow. Her first kiss was with him. As well as the riding lessons, Lisa takes ballet, clarinet, art and tennis classes and she is jealous of girls who can go home after school and just veg. out. Lisa’s younger sister, Melanie, has now been enrolled at Pine Hollow and unfortunately for Lisa, this means she will always be hanging around.

Veronica DiAngelo is the spoiled daughter of wealthy bussinessman, Frank DiAngelo. Veronica is a big-headed individual who thinks she is better than everyone else. She is often rude, insulting, mean, and boy-crazy. She enjoys being admired on her expensive thoroughbreds, but certainly has no interest in caring for them. In the first series, Veronica causes her horse, Cobalt, to have a fatal accident. Her father buys her a new horse, Garnet. She attends the same school as the Saddle Club and resents it. She was quite content at her elite girls' school in the city but when her parents bought the estate in Pine Hollow, they decided to enroll her at the local school. Because Phil Marsten's family owns a large parcel of land and breeds Arabian horses, Veronica takes an immediate interest in him. But he only has eyes for Stevie, despite all of Veronica's efforts. Veronica's pride takes a blow when her father suffers financial losses and she is forced to work at the stables to help cover Garnet's board and the continuation of lessons.

Kristi Cavanaugh is 14 going on 20 and is Veronica's closest ally. Quickly becoming known as the stable flirt, Kristi is more interested in attracting male attention with her expensive riding attire than she is in learning how to ride a horse. She originally came to Pine Hollow as Veronica's guest, but after seeing some of the cute stable-hands and riders, she quickly signed up for lessons herself. In contrast to Veronica, Kristi doesn't have the same disdain for the Saddle Club, but she isn't likely to waste her time bonding with them either. To her, they are nothing but immature little girls.

Red O'Malley is the 17 year old lead stable hand at Pine Hollow. He is good-looking and, in the girls' eyes the epitome of cool. No one can calm a spooked pony or cure a colicky horse better than Red. With his excellent riding skills and wealth of experience, it is surprising that he doesn't ride or train professionally. His past was a complete mystery until the Saddle Club got on his case and helped him deal with his past so that he can ride again. Veronica treats Red badly and she can't understand why Kristi throws herself at him and follows him around. In the second series, Red falls in love with Dorothee Doutey, the Junior European Eventing Champion visiting Pine Hollow from France and, together with the Saddle Club, helps her to find the confidence to compete again after a nasty fall. But Red learns love means sacrifice. With Max away, Red has to take on a greater role in the running of the stables and has obtained his instructor's accreditation.

Phil Marsten is a member of the Cross County Pony Club, the rival pony club to Pine Hollow's own Horse Wise. He takes riding lessons at Pine Hollow. Phil and Stevie are intensively competitive and they constantly try to outdo each other in the ring or on the trails. It is obvious to everyone else that they are attracted to each other but they spend so much time arguing they fail to see it themselves. Stevie pretends not to care about Phil but she gets intensely jealous if any other girl shows interest. phil can never figure out what Stevie wants. It is a tumultuous friendship and a budding romance, but not without its hassles.

Brian (Scooter) Mulcahy is a charming youth with a roguish sense of humour. He loves computers because he approves of the way they do your thinking for you, while you get on with other schemes. Like the alchemists of old, Scooter likes the idea of turning lead into gold, setting a system up and then sitting back and counting the returns. That's why he wants to be the manager of the Saddle Club Singers. Lisa, Stevie and Carole will do the hard work and he does the hard bargaining - everybody wins especially him. He has mastered AI technology and lives in the hope that one day he will be able to write a program which will provide him with the key to wealth, fast cars and wall-to-wall computer games. Everybody at Pine Hollow likes Scooter because of his happy-go-lucky nature and general air of devilment. He loves a laugh and is very good company, and will stop you working at the drop of a hat. He is employed around Pine Hollow to install a computer system and as a general 'gofer'. Pine Hollow does not have a lot of money to spend so Scooter is doing everything on the cheap, using cannibalized computer parts. Scooter is an irrepressible, puckish scallywag and this appalls Veronica who sees his presence at Pine Hollow as another sign of declining standards.

Dorothée Doutey is beautiful, mercurial and 17. She comes to Pine Hollow to straighten herself out. Six months before she arrived in Australia, she was Junior European Eventing Champion but her career underwent a huge setback when she had a serious fall while competing at Badminton. She broke her pelvis and spent eight weeks in hospital but she suffered an even bigger psychological trauma. There was a feeling on the part of the judges that she pushed her young horse Hugo too hard and this is what occasioned the accident. She has completely lost her self-confidence and seems to be in denial about her whole horseriding life. She has become withdrawn and solitary. Her worried parents decide to send her to Pine Hollow hoping that the change of scenery might jog her out of her despondency and, as an added bonus, they send her beloved horse, Hugo, onto Pine Hollow to be waiting for her when she arrives.

Max Regnery is the owner and manager of Pine Hollow Stables. He co-runs the stable with his mother, Elizabeth Regnery. He is also the riding instructor. He is a kind and generous man, and is always there to help out when there's a problem. He is an extremely skilled rider, having won numerous awards and competitions as a young man, and is seen as a mentor and friend by his students. He also has a firm side and has little tolerance of bullying and nonsense. In the first season, he meets Deborah Hale, a local journalist with a city paper, who doesn't like horses as much as he does. The two fall in love and get married by the end of the first season. In the second season, Max goes away to France for three months to take master equitation classes. His cousin, Drew takes the helm for him in his absence.

Mrs. Elizabeth Regnery, Max's mother, is the stable manager. A former hippie, Mrs. Reg is liberal and open-minded. When a human or animal is sick, she prefers to seek out homeopathic solutions rather than rely on traditional Western medicine. A self-proclaimed horse psychologist and animal psychic, she lives in a world of her own. Adults think she is completely nuts but the kids find in her an offbeat wisdom. Never taking sides, or playing favorites, she is always available to lend an ear, even if she does tend to ramble on about Garnet's past life or Starlight's inferiority complex. The Saddle Club girls aren't about to talk to adults about their problems, but somehow Mrs. Reg isn't really an adult. Believing that every lesson in life is somehow related to horses, Mrs. Reg's advice is cryptic at best but, for whatever reason, the girls always feel better after speaking with her.

Melanie Atwood is Lisa's little sister. She can be quite mischievous and sometimes a little bit cheeky. Sometimes she may seem bossy but at most times, she is a nice girl.

Ashley is Melanie's friend. She is smart, but she doesn't always show it. She is very caring about her friends and likes to make sure everyone is okay.

[edit] Horses

Starlight: A 6-year-old buckskin Trakehner gelding with a blaze. He belongs to Carole and is boarded at Pine Hollow. He is gentle soul, but didn't get along with Prancer in one of the episodes. Carole bought Starlight with the money her mother left her after she died from cancer. Carole almost sold Starlight after the devastating loss of Cobalt. In the second season, Starlight was called 'she' in a couple episodes.

Belle: A 7-year-old dark bay Arabian/Saddlebred mare with a star. She is ridden by Stevie as of episode 15. She is a high spirited horse and one of the strongest in the stable. Stevie first encountered Belle during a western riding clinic, thinking she was the phantom horse that had been talked about so much. Belle appeared dirty and straggly with rainrot patches on her back. Stevie rescued the abandoned mare and brought her to the stable to clean her up. Not long after claiming her, Belle's original owner, Chelsea came to claim the horse. Belle, not wanting to return to her first owner broke out and ran away, but returned when Stevie went out to look for her. Realising that Belle and Stevie belong together, Chelsea later brought Belle back to Pine Hollow and let Stevie keep her.

Prancer: A 3-year-old chestnut Thoroughbred mare with white socks and a star. She is ridden by Lisa as of episode 12. Prancer used to be a racehorse that Carole would exercise for racehorse owner, David McLeod; until the mare sprained a ligament and a fed up McLeod made plans to sell her for slaughter. The girls made plans of their own to rescue Prancer by "horsenapping" her and hiding out in Max's old barn. Max bought Prancer and with the help of the girls, trained her as a school horse. She can often be seen in the fields with Starlight.

Garnet: A 7-year-old liver-chestnut Arabian mare with a blaze. She belongs to Veronica as of episode 16 when her father buys her to replace Cobalt, Veronica's old horse that had to be put down. Veronica did not want Garnet originally, but she loves her even though Carole tends to care for her more.

Comanche: A 9-year-old bay Appaloosa gelding with a white blanket on his rump. He was one of the original school horses that Max bought when he took over running the stable. Comanche is an easy going horse with an even temper. Although he often gets spooked, and is afraid of mudholes and especially thunderstorms. He was originally ridden by Stevie until episode 15. She even feeds him jellybeans (he hates black ones). Stevie stops riding him after receiving Belle but still takes time to look after Comanche, often taking him and Belle on picnics. After episode 15 Sam rode Comanche. In the second season, Comanche was almost put down when it was thought that Comanche had contracted equine virus, when he was in fact suffering from colic from eating freshly cut grass.

Patch: A 12-year-old back/white Pinto (skewbald) gelding. He is a sweet natured horse whom Lisa starts off riding. Patch is the horse that all new riders start on. He's a smart little horse, sometimes referred to as "push-button" since he stays focused and doesn't get spooked easily. After Lisa moves on to riding Prancer, various other riders start riding Patch. Strangely, Patch is not seen or mentioned in the second season.

Cobalt: A 6-year-old black Thoroughbred stallion. He belongs to veronica until episode 10. He is a skilled jumper. Veronica has no love for the handsome and proud stallion and takes no interest in caring for him. Carole has a deep relationship with Cobalt, often taking him out on hacks and jumping. Sadly, Cobalt dies after Veronica carelessly pushes him too hard in a jumping contest, causing him to badly fracture his seasomoid and pastern bones. Before his tragic and untimley death, Delilah is bred to Cobalt and later gives birth to Cobalt's only son, Samson.

Delilah: A 9-year-old Palomino mare. Sh is sweet but temperamental and belongs to Max. Carole occasionally rode Delilah until she bought Starlight. Delilah was bred to Cobalt seven months before his tragic death. Carole was originally the only one at Pine Hollow the night she gave birth until Lisa and Stevie gave up their plans and joined her. She gives birth to a colt whom the girls name Samson after Samson and Delilah. Veronica mocks them the following day exclaiming to Kristi that it is "just a foal" when she sees them outside Delilah's stall.

Barq: A 10-year-old gray Arabian gelding. He is ridden by Kristi though she does not frequently care for him, often leaving other people to do the work for her.

Pepper: A 25-year-old dapple gray Mustang gelding. He is a school horse ridden by Sam until episode 15. He is retired in season two.

Dime: A 14-year-old white Shetland pony gelding with a shaggy mane. He is ridden by Ashley until episode 12. He has a tendency to buck, bite, and kick.

Penny: An 8-year-old light chestnut Haflinger mare with a white mane and tail. She is ridden by Megan.

Nickel: A 16-year-old gray mare. She is a small pony without a specified breed. She is a school horse and is therefore ridden by various students.

Teddy: An 8-year-old bay Quarterhorse gelding with a white snip. He is ridden by Phil. He doesn't board at Pine Hollow, but he is trailered in for lessons. He spooks easily on the trail and is afraid of loud noises and bad weather. Teddy is also well trained in dressage.

Samson: A 1-year-old black Thoroughbred/Palomino colt. He is Delilah's foal, named after Samson and Delilah.

Hugo: A big, grey Andalusian with white socks. He has a "crescent of A" brand and is owned by Dorothee.

Angel: A Palomino with a white stripe. She was sent to Red for reining because she always ran away with her riders.

Diablo: A black Friesian horse. He was originally owned by Raffael. Raffael let him wander and he always came back to where Raffael was.

Storm: A badly damaged and abused horse that Lisa chooses to be Pine Hollow's first foster horse.

Windsong: A magnificent thoroughbred racehorse who eventually is found to have a reaction to natural remedies.

[edit] Series

Two series of twenty-six episodes each have been shot. They last 30 minutes each. Due to the popularity of the program, several videos and DVDs have been released. The series is shot in the Yarra Valley in Victoria. The series is set mainly at the Pine Hollow Stables in the small community of Willow Creek. In the first series, the characters are dealing with the transition from childhood to youth. The second series sees the girls facing the challenges of teenagers.

[edit] Discography

There have been a number of albums released in Australia featuring the actors/actresses in the series. The second album On Top Of The World was nominated for an ARIA Award for "Best Original Soundtrack" in 2003. Each of the albums has made the top 50 of the Australian album charts and the first three records have achieved gold record status including:

[edit] Albums

[edit] Singles

  • Hello World (2002) - #27 Australia
  • Hey Hey What You Say (2003) - #20 Australia
  • Wonderland (2003) - #17 Australia
  • Boogie Oogie Oogie (2003) - #29 Australia
  • Undercover Movers and Shakers (2004) - #42 Australia
  • L.I.F.E - #34 Australia

[edit] Heli Simpson Discography

[edit] Albums

  • Princess Veronica (2004)

[edit] Singles

[edit] Videos

Due to the program's success, a number of videos and DVDs have been released in Australia and other countries including the United States. These include:

  • The Saddle Club: The First Adventure (2003)
  • The Saddle Club: Horse Crazy (2003)
  • The Saddle Club: The Mane Event (2003)
  • The Saddle Club: Adventures At Pine Hollow (2001)
  • The Saddle Club: Storm (2004)
  • The Saddle Club: Friends Forever (2004)
  • The Saddle Club: Saving Pine Hollow (2005)
  • The Saddle Club series 1
  • The Saddle Club series 2

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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