100 Fun Facts About Heartland

Which Canadian network has aired Heartland since 2007?

CBC. Heartland premiered there on October 14, 2007, and out-drew Da Kink in My Hair, a new comedy that the rival network Global launched the same night.

Who plays Amy Fleming, the protagonist of Heartland?

Amber Marshall. A former veterinary assistant who had ridden since childhood, she moved west from Ontario for the role and went on to keep a ranch of her own, with horses and cattle.

In which Canadian province is the Heartland ranch set?

Alberta. The novels the series is based on were set in the United States; the producers moved the ranch to the foothills of the Canadian Rockies and filmed it there.

Which abused horse, rescued in Heartland's first episode, becomes Amy's own?

Spartan. Amy and her mother take him from a neglectful owner on a stormy night, and her slow work to win his trust afterwards becomes her own way through grief.

Who plays Lou Fleming, Amy's older sister, in Heartland?

Michelle Morgan. She has also stepped behind the camera, directing episodes of the series in which she plays the family's planner-in-chief.

Who plays Grandpa Jack Bartlett in Heartland?

Shaun Johnston. His Jack owns the ranch and starts out suspicious of the new hired hand, Ty, but comes to treat him like a son and gives his blessing when Ty marries Amy.

Which actor plays Tim Fleming, Amy and Lou's father, in Heartland?

Chris Potter. Since 2010 he has also directed dozens of episodes, stepping behind the camera on the show in which he plays the family's black sheep.

Why was Ty Borden working at Heartland when the series began?

To complete his probation. Marion offered Ty the ranch job after he was sent to juvenile detention for attacking the stepfather who was assaulting his mother.

Who played Ty Borden for 14 seasons of Heartland?

Graham Wardle. He chose to leave as the fourteenth season began, so its premiere opened with Ty's sudden death and the story turned to Amy raising their daughter alone.

What happened to Amy's mother Marion at the start of Heartland?

She died in a car crash. Marion and Amy were hauling a mistreated horse home through a storm when their truck and trailer left the road; Amy woke up in hospital.

Where was Lou working before she came home to run Heartland?

New York. Lou left a well-paid finance job and a boyfriend there to sort out the ranch's books after her mother's death, and stayed for good once her firm fired her.

What did Lou propose turning Heartland into to make it profitable?

A corporate retreat centre. Lou pictured executives doing team-building exercises with horses and won a bank loan to build guest cabins; her family mockingly called it the Dude Ranch.

What training method does Amy practise in Heartland, inherited from her mother?

Natural horsemanship. Like her mother Marion, Amy works by earning a frightened horse's trust instead of forcing it, and join-up, the first technique she tries, helps her grieve too.

Why had Jack banished Tim from the family years earlier?

His alcohol and drug use. An injury left Tim leaning on painkillers and drink, and Jack threw him out when Amy was five; he comes back only after Marion's death.

What was Jack Bartlett before he became a rancher?

A rodeo star. Jack was born on the ranch when it ran cattle and left to become a legend on the circuit; it turned to healing horses only when his daughter Marion took over.

In Heartland, who is Jack's romantic interest, the owner of Fairfield Stables?

Lisa Stillman. The racehorse breeder spends part of every year in France, and after seasons of breaking up and making up, she and Jack slip away and elope.

What nickname does Amy earn when a video of her calming a trapped horse spreads online?

Miracle Girl. Bystanders filmed Amy soothing a show-jumper caught in barbed wire after a highway collision, and the clip brought in more clients than the ranch could handle.

Peter Morris, the man Lou marries in Heartland, works in which industry?

Oil. He first appears as PW, boss of a small company caught drilling on Heartland land, and Lou organises the protest against him before she falls for him.

In Heartland, where do Lou and Peter move after marrying at the end of season 3?

Dubai. Peter's business takes them there straight after the wedding, but Lou's one-week visit home never ends, and he is left commuting halfway round the world to see her.

In Heartland, how did Lou and Peter first get to know each other without realising it?

Over instant messaging. A family friend passed on Lou's email without asking; she signed herself Sam and he used his first name, so neither knew they were chatting with the enemy.

In Heartland, what is the name of Lou and Peter's adopted daughter?

Georgie. Orphaned at three and split from her brother in foster care, she lands at the ranch, and Lou and Peter adopt her after Jack is turned down as her guardian.

Which trick-riding group does Lou's adopted daughter join in Heartland's later seasons?

The Extreme Team. Trick riding replaces show jumping as her sport for a while, until she is made to choose between the team and an Olympic jumping dream and picks the jumping.

In Heartland, what is the name of Amy and Ty's daughter?

Lyndy. She is named after Jack's late wife, with Marion for Amy's mother as a middle name, and is born at home after Amy goes into labour on arriving at a friend's wedding.

What kills Ty in Heartland's season 14 premiere?

A blood clot after being shot. Ty and Amy were both hit by a poacher's bullet at the end of season 13, and he seems to be on the mend until deep vein thrombosis makes him collapse.

Which country does Ty travel to in Heartland to help save endangered Gobi bears?

Mongolia. Ty goes with Amy's blessing even though she has just told him she is pregnant, and he comes home so ill from a tick bite that he lands in hospital in critical condition.

In Heartland, what does ranch hand Ty train to become?

A veterinarian. Ty arrives without a high-school diploma, earns it at the ranch, works at the local clinic all through vet school, and is finally offered a partnership there.

Which Heartland ranch hand, hired while Ty was away, becomes his rival and later marries Ashley?

Caleb Odell. He is taken on while Ty is away and briefly dates Amy, then marries Ashley, but the marriage does not last and he comes back to the ranch alone.

Who is the widowed owner of Briar Ridge Stables, Heartland's main antagonist early on?

Val Stanton. She drives her daughter Ashley to win at shows and scorns the ranch's gentle methods, yet she and Jack become friends once he helps her mend things with Ashley.

In Heartland, talkative Mallory Wells is the daughter of what kind of performer?

A country music artist. Her father is played by real Canadian country star George Canyon, and when his career takes the family to Nashville, Mallory has to go, to her dismay.

Whom does Mallory marry when she returns to Heartland in season 10?

Jake Anderson. She spends years pushing the young cowboy away, though he once helped her run back from boarding school, and at last follows him to Paris before the wedding.

What business does Lou buy in Heartland's season 7 and run with Tim as her silent partner?

Maggie's Diner. Lou first fought to have the diner declared a heritage site to keep a chain out, then bought it herself, with a partner who turned out to be anything but silent.

Which elected office does Lou hold from season 14 of Heartland?

Mayor of Hudson. Lou ran only to keep a rival she distrusted out of the job, then leaned on her administrator Rick, the show's first openly gay character, to learn it.

In Heartland, Amy's best friend Soraya moves permanently to which city in season 5?

London. Soraya first goes there on a visit and meets a boyfriend, and her mother later follows her across the Atlantic; Soraya comes back only for Amy and Ty's wedding.

In Heartland, who becomes Lou's on-and-off boyfriend after her marriage to Peter breaks down?

Mitch Cutty. The new hand works to win over Jack and Tim, and after much hostility Tim nicknames him Trooper, after a tenacious bronc; Peter's visits keep complicating the romance.

In Heartland, what is the name of Tim's son with ex-girlfriend Miranda Grenier, revealed in season 4?

Shane. Amy bonds with her 11-year-old half-brother over horses, but the news costs Tim his girlfriend Janice, who moves to California without him.

In Heartland, who finds and saves Jack after his heart attack in the field?

Tim. The son-in-law Jack once banished, and has just fallen out with again, is the one who finds him unconscious in the field and calls the ambulance.

In Heartland, which pony, owned by Mrs. Bell, did Lou learn to ride on?

Sugarfoot. Mrs. Bell keeps the little Shetland in her house for company, and when illness puts her in hospital it is businesslike Lou who grows unexpectedly attached to him again.

Which future Arrow star guest-starred in Heartland as champion rider Nick Harwell?

Stephen Amell. In the first season his prize-winning show jumper turns up to coach a sulky pupil and flirts with Lou, four years before Amell pulled on the Green Arrow's hood.

Heartland is based on a book series credited to which pen name?

Lauren Brooke. More than one writer has used the name: Linda Chapman wrote many of the early books and has also written as Daisy Meadows, the name on the Rainbow Magic books.

In the original novels, which US state is the Heartland ranch in?

Virginia. In the books Amy's family heals abused and neglected horses there; the television producers carried the whole ranch across the border into Canada's cattle country.

What is the title of Heartland's first episode, shared with the first novel?

Coming Home. The title covers two arrivals in one hour: Lou's return from her city career, and a rescued horse brought back to the ranch for Amy to heal.

Which real town stands in for Hudson in most of Heartland's location filming?

High River. The show keeps a permanent storefront set on its main street, and after a flood swamped it in 2013 the production came back with $80,000 raised from fans.

What does Amy temporarily lose after being kicked by a horse in Heartland's season 7?

Her sight. Amy steps between two fighting horses, wakes in hospital unable to see, and tells Ty to leave her if it never comes back; he refuses, and the next day it returns.

Which long-running show did Heartland pass to become Canada's longest-running one-hour drama?

Street Legal. The Toronto legal drama ended its original run in 1994 and kept the record for two decades; it came back in 2019 with a new season, but that was cancelled after six episodes.

Which Jenn Grant song is Heartland's opening theme?

Dreamer. The Halifax singer stopped performing as a teenager with stage fright that she says lasted about ten years; the song comes from Orchestra for the Moon, the debut album she made after coming back.

Which runaway horse, named by Amy, bonds with Lou's adopted daughter and becomes her jumper?

Phoenix. Horse and girl turn up at the ranch in the same episode, both runaways from bad homes, and once the two have bonded Jack offers to let her stay.

Which US cable network, known as GMC TV until 2013, has carried Heartland since 2010?

Up TV. The channel started out as the Gospel Music Channel and renamed itself in 2013 because it had broadened from gospel music into family programming.

In Heartland, who is Scott Cardinal?

Heartland's vet. Scott was once a troubled teenager whom Marion took in and set straight, just as she later did for Ty; he dates Lou for two seasons and regrets losing her.

What is the name of the neighbouring ranch that Tim works on and later buys?

Big River. Tim takes a job there to be near his daughters after years away, grows close to the owner's daughter, and buys the cattle ranch when she decides to sell.

What is the title of Heartland's standalone feature-length TV movie from 2010?

A Heartland Christmas. Amy and Ty spend the holiday digging out starving horses trapped by a mountain avalanche, and Jack and Tim, sent to fetch Amy home, end up staying to help.

In Heartland's season 3, which wild animal sits by Ty's fire all night after his plane crashes?

A wolf stayed by the fire all night, watching Ty and the injured Scott instead of attacking. Ty kept dreaming about the animal long after the rescue.

In Heartland, what does Ty give Amy in the bed of his broken-down truck on school dance night?

A promise ring was Ty's gift after his truck died on the way to the dance. He had taken dancing lessons from Lou so that he would not embarrass Amy.

In Heartland, which classic novel convinces Mallory that Amy and Ty are meant to be together?

Wuthering Heights gave Mallory her parallel, but Amy misread the hint and thought she meant another ranch hand. Mallory later explained she had been talking about Ty all along.

In Heartland, the show horse Diva is said to carry a curse that brings what upon her owners?

Divorce is the fate Diva supposedly brings, so nobody would buy her as a show horse. She ended up as a wedding gift to a bride who married at the ranch.

In Heartland's season 10, what gives Ty the life-threatening illness he brings home from his trip abroad?

A tick bite infected Ty while he was away working with endangered bears. He came home in critical condition shortly before his daughter was born.

In Heartland, Lou's fear of horses began when she saw her father's accident at which famous rodeo?

Calgary Stampede was where a young Lou witnessed the accident. Years later she tried to impress her father without admitting she was still afraid of horses.

Which natural disaster hit Heartland's standing diner set in its real-life filming town in June 2013?

A flood swamped the diner set, though the main ranch sets escaped damage. A month later the studios ran fan tours that raised $80,000 to help the town recover.

In Heartland, what is the name of Lou and Peter's biological daughter, born in the episode 'Passages'?

Katie is short for Catherine, and she arrives in the last episode of season 4. As a baby the character was played by twin sisters.

In Heartland's season 13, which troubled boy do Amy and Ty briefly foster at the ranch?

Luke Kashani came to the ranch through Ty's old probation officer, who hoped the couple could help him. He later went back to live with his mother.

In Heartland's season 7 finale, whose wedding ring does Jack use when he finally proposes?

His grandmother's ring sealed the proposal, and the couple eloped at the Dude Ranch soon after. Jack then chose not to wear a wedding ring himself.

Which colt-starting contest does Amy win in Heartland, striking the victory pose from a photo of her mother?

Ring of Fire is the contest Amy's mother once won, and Amy studied her journal before entering. She beat two rivals when one failed the course and the other could not load his horse.

In Heartland, what is the name of Ty's abusive stepfather, whom he attacked while defending his mother?

Wade assaulted Ty's mother, provoking the attack that sent Ty to juvenile hall. He resurfaces in season 3, tracking her to town after she leaves him.

In Heartland, Lou assumes that Max, whom Peter shares with his ex-wife, is a child; what is Max really?

A dog named Max is all that Peter shares with his ex-wife. On a later outing with the family, the pet has a painful run-in with a porcupine.

In Heartland, which rodeo event does teenager Jade Virani take up, coached by Amy's father?

Bronc riding makes Jade one of the star pupils at the rodeo school Amy's father runs. She even lives in an old trailer for a while to assert her independence.

Which Heartland character, a town administrator introduced in season 14, is the series' first openly gay character?

Rick Adderly, played by Aidan Moreno, runs the town office as its chief administrative officer. He works as Lou's right-hand man through season 17.

In Heartland, Lou is a nickname taken from her middle name, Louise; what is Lou Fleming's first name?

Samantha Louise is her full given name. She went by Sam with a man she was getting to know, so he had no idea who she really was.

In Heartland's season 3, which horse that belonged to Amy's late mother dies of strangles?

Pegasus caught the infection after a barrel horse brought it from a rodeo, putting the stables under quarantine. The whole family knelt beside him as he died.

In Heartland, which prize show jumper of Ashley's turns up among neglected horses after being sold?

Apollo arrived at the ranch dehydrated, one of six horses brought in during a heat wave. Ashley accused her mother of selling him to a kill buyer and left home.

In Heartland's season 2 premiere, what name does Amy give the wild stallion she struggles to break?

Ghost is the mustang's name, and Ty bonds with him quickly on returning to the ranch. Ty and Jack later make sure the stallion and his mare reach safety.

In Heartland, what is the name of Jack Bartlett's longtime horse, whose death he mourns in season 9?

Paint was already too old to race back in season 2. After he dies, Jack grows weary of everyone trying to find him a new horse.

Heartland filmed some of its interiors at an abandoned site awaiting redevelopment that formerly served as what?

A military base called Currie Barracks stood empty, giving the crew ready-made space for interior sets. The site was already scheduled for redevelopment.

In Heartland's season 3, what does Ty buy to rebuild, upsetting Amy so soon after his plane crash?

A motorcycle was Ty's project, and Amy said it made her worry and reminded her of the crash. The two ended up riding it together.

In Heartland's season 3, which homemade product of Lou's ends up on sale at the local supermarket?

Jam earned Lou the shelf space even though she lost the local jam-making competition. The judge happened to manage the supermarket.

In Heartland, what kind of retreat does Jack head to when he wants time away from the ranch?

A fishing cabin is where Jack went to brood after being talked into buying a new truck. There he recalled getting his old truck as an anniversary present from his wife.

In Heartland's season 4, which American college offers Amy a full scholarship as she finishes high school?

Colorado State offered the scholarship, and Lou told Amy she would be ruining her life by not seizing it. Ty simply said she had great options.

In Heartland's season 4 finale, which breed of heavy horses does Amy train to pull a sleigh?

Clydesdales arrive as a pair for sleigh training, and Amy asks Ty to help. She then confronts him over a text message from another woman.

In Heartland's season 7, an ill-fated road trip to which US state rekindles Jack's romance with his future wife?

Montana was the destination when the pair ran out of gas with no phone signal and got lost in the woods. Jack proposed by the end of the season.

In Heartland's season 7, which European city does Mallory leave for to follow her boyfriend?

Paris became Mallory's destination only after Lou fired her from the diner, which freed her to go. She came back to the ranch in season 10 to get married.

In Heartland, in which country do Ashley and her new husband honeymoon, a trip from which he returns alone?

Italy hosted the honeymoon, where the newlyweds stayed with a friend of Ashley's mother. Ashley took her time returning, and the couple eventually split up.

In Heartland, seasonal work in which country keeps Fairfield's owner away and strains her romance with Jack?

France draws her away each season, and the couple break up in season 6 after Jack visits her there. She later writes to him hoping to reconcile.

In Heartland, to which Canadian city does Peter's new job take him, leaving him home only on weekends?

Vancouver became Peter's base once he had recovered from going bankrupt overseas. His long absences there eventually ended the marriage.

In Heartland's season 5, where does Ty ride alone to scatter the ashes of his late father?

Eagle Lake is where Ty and Jack end up scattering the ashes together, after Amy sends Jack to follow him. Along the way Jack talks about his own father.

In Heartland, which wealthy horse owner makes Amy his head trainer, takes her to Europe and falls for her?

Prince Ahmed called Amy his good luck charm and showered her with gifts, including a new truck. She finally told him that she loved Ty.

In Heartland's season 5, what is the name of trainer Renard's travelling show that offers Amy a contract?

Dark Horse offered Amy a two-year contract after a strong audition, but she turned it down. She chose to keep helping horses that needed her.

In Heartland's season 8, which illness keeps Lou's adopted daughter from attending her school dance?

Chickenpox struck just after she had found a dress for the dance. Meanwhile Lou and Jack's wife were busy planning Amy's wedding.

In Heartland, which instrument does a ranch hand help Lou's adopted daughter learn for her music class?

Recorder practice came with help from the ranch's resident rodeo cowboy, of all people. Both Jack and Lou resorted to bribing her to keep practising.

In Heartland's season 5, which group from Jack's past do Lou and his partner reunite for his birthday?

His old band came back together after Jack learned that a former bandmate had died. He was upset at first, then took the stage with them for one last set.

In Heartland's season 10, which equestrian sport does new client Nora practise and Lou's adopted daughter try?

Mounted archery is Nora's sport, and she comes to the ranch while returning to it after a pregnancy. Amy, meanwhile, has just lost a client over her own pregnancy.

In Heartland's season 2, Amy treats Venture, a Mountie's horse, for a newly developed fear of what?

Water terrified Venture, but the real problem lay with his rider. The officer still felt responsible for his brother's drowning six years earlier.

In Heartland's season 2, who shoots Amy's father in the shoulder after taking Amy captive?

Cattle rustlers took his entire herd that night. Two seasons later the family tracked the stolen animals down and trapped the thieves in a trailer for the police.

In Heartland's season 9, what does Lou's adopted daughter use to find the way out of a corn maze?

Popcorn marked the route after she and Adam got lost in the maze she had invited him to. The same episode sends Ty on a cattle drive that wrecks his weekend plans with Amy.

In Heartland's first season, what disaster puts Jack in hospital and plunges the ranch into financial crisis?

A barn fire left Jack with amnesia until he gradually remembered that it had been set on purpose. The community pulled together to help the family.

In Heartland's season 2, which cowgirl wins the Queen of the Rodeo title ahead of Soraya and Ashley?

Kit Bailey took the crown with Soraya as runner-up, and a third-placed Ashley drank heavily at the after-party. Kit also dated Ty for a time.

In Heartland, which old friend of Amy's mother does Amy visit for help reconnecting with her horse?

Victor Whitetail helps people connect with their horses, and he showed Amy that the problem lay with her. Jack suspected he had been more than a friend to her mother.

In Heartland's 2010 TV movie, what traps the starving horses that Amy and Ty race to save?

An avalanche in the mountains trapped the herd, which belonged to an old rodeo friend of Jack's. He was still haunted by an earlier slide that had killed his son-in-law.

In Heartland's season 7 premiere, which animals does Amy's father bring onto the ranch while Jack recovers?

Sheep arrived while Amy's father was trying to replace Jack as the family patriarch. He also had Jack's trucks hauled away without asking.

In Heartland's season 3 finale, what does Mallory use to tell the family's fortunes before Lou's wedding?

Tarot cards keep Mallory busy while Lou rushes to marry before a move overseas. In the same episode, Ashley and her rodeo cowboy elope.

In Heartland's season 5, what name does Amy give the dog she takes in after Mr. Hanley dies?

Lobo had belonged to a rancher whom Amy found dead in a field. She also talked Jack into buying the man's horses to save them from the slaughterhouse.

In Heartland's season 3, which young wild animal does Jack look after until it can go to a wildlife preserve?

A cougar cub turned up after its mother, who had been unsettling the horses, was captured. Caring for it revealed Jack's nurturing side.

In Heartland's season 9, a video of which animal spitting on Adam threatens his class president campaign?

A llama did the spitting, and Lou's adopted daughter was the one who filmed it. Adam, her maths tutor, went on to become her first serious boyfriend.