Ride is a sweet and perfect show for young adults. It's about a Canadian girl who goes to an equestrian boarding school in England and forms a bond with her horse, all while trying to fit in with the uptight people of Covington Academy.
Beautifully shot in Ireland (as a stand-in for England) the show features the misadventures of Kit (Kendra Leigh Timmins) as she tries to navigate life at a prestigious private school in another country. Kit is sweet and sincere and means well but has the angst and emotion of a teen girl struggling to find herself (all played adorably well by Timmins). She makes friends along the way--including her horse TK--and does her best to please the dour Headmistress, Lady Covington (Sara Botsford), as well as her father (Mike Shara), the Stable Master at Covington. Botsford is especially good as the prim and proper British headmistress.
Kit is not perfect and often makes mistakes, making her character all the more endearing to kids who understand that life can be hard, and no one is perfect, even if we are sometimes expected to be. As a foil to her lack of perfection, Kit butts heads with the popular British girl, Elaine (Alana Boden), Kit's perfect and put-together (friendly) nemesis (played by a delightfully catty Boden).
The series features the usual teen intrigue, like who's dating who, and a mystery involving Kit's mother, while also presenting obstacles the students must overcome, such as the sale of Kit's beloved horse, qualifying in riding competitions, and not being afraid to get back on the horse and try again.
The show may not be for everyone, such as jaded adults who don't understand that the show was not written for them, those who expect slapstick sight gags or toilet humour, prevalent in other kids' shows, or some boys who may not be interested in a show about girls and horses. But with its sweetness and acceptance, learning to be the best you can, and its sense of community, Ride is the kind of show that makes most kids wish Covington Academy was real. Ride on!
