Free Rein

I am a horse person, so I agree that some of this is "horse fantasy" land, but I don't mind. It's a horse crazy girl's show and it's appropriate for kids and family. Plot holes galore! Horses magically tacked up! A trainer who never rides any horses! But still, good characters, beautiful horses. Just needs a dog or two and then it would be perfect.

Can we please stop with the movies and TV shows with teen girls wearing 10 pounds of flawless make-up 24 hours a day? It's totally unnecessary, unbelievable and detrimental to young girls' self esteem. The main character isn't too likable... actually none of the characters are, but maybe that's because the acting is stiff and the dialog is ridiculous. The show itself is silly, predictable and completely unrealistic, full of plot holes big enough a horse could fall into them. This is a total waste of time for most people unless you really, really love horses.

Netflix recommended this series to me because I watch Heartland. I ignored it for a while because I figured it'd be some cutesy, childish TV series, but eventually decided to try it. It's actually pretty good! Currently I'm 28, and I used to watch The Saddle Club when it aired back in 2001 when I was 11. I think it appeals to a slightly more mature audience than TSC, and the child actors are better in comparison. Being an equestrian myself, I can't help but roll my eyes at the idea of a teenage girl with zero prior riding experience suddenly becoming the stable's best rider in a matter of months, but it's still all around a great series. The cast has great chemistry, the landscapes are absolutely breathtaking, and I love the variety of beautiful horses they have. Definitely a good drama series.

Look, this show isn't perfect. It's actually far from perfect. Main character Zoe is moderately unlikable - she is self-absorbed, obnoxious and unwilling to listen to experts and their riding advice, constantly falling back on the "I'm a natural rider" excuse to do whatever she wants. Make sure kids are aware that it takes years of riding to get to the level she was at if this show inspires your kids to start riding. However, all other characters are decent and interesting, both the main secondary characters like Mia, Marcus and Pin and the lesser used characters like Susie. If the writers put effort into Zoe like they did with everybody else, this would be a great show. The plot is also a strong point. The twist in the first season does originally feel like it comes out of nowhere, but was actually very clever in that there are little subtle hints to who the horse thief was.

The series runs smoothly and it's not to be taken too seriously. Characters have their own characterization and I personally did not get bored between an episode and another. Free Rein is ironic, simple, full of teen drama and pleasantly fills a free afternoon. Each episode lasts about half an hour, it's worth a look but as as simple as it is you have to watch it without high expectations. I enjoyed it.