Horseland

The kids reminisce about the first day Sarah arrived at Horseland, and how they all assumed she’d be a stuck-up snob like Chloe & Zoey, and how wrong they were.

When Alma skips several practices, she has a run of disappointing results in a fence-jumping event. She has trouble accepting responsibility for her failures, and tries to pass off the blame for her dismal performance. When Chloe wins a competition with a perfect score, Alma finally realizes she has no one to blame but herself.

When Molly takes a bad fall, she puts off getting back in the saddle again. When Sarah’s horse Scarlet comes down with a potentially deadly illness, only Molly is available to ride to get help, and she must finally face her fears.

In her frustration with Chloe & Zoey, Alma gets a reputation for “crying wolf” which is only partly deserved. When she actually sees a wolf on a trail ride, no one will believe her. She goes back to get evidence that she was telling the truth – and gets trapped by the wolf!

When Chloe & Zoey shirk their responsibilities on a trail ride/camping trip – not filling the water jugs, not making sure the campfire is out - the result is a forest fire which puts everyone in jeopardy... especially them, because when the kids flee to a lake, it turns out the sisters can’t swim!

Zoey is displeased with Molly’s performance in a team event, and tricks the rest of her ride-mates into dropping Molly from the team. Molly is so hurt by being excluded, she decides to leave Horseland. It’s up to Sarah and Alma to set things right again.

When Pepper gets hurt during a jumping exercise, Zoey turns her back on her, even talking of getting a new horse - although it is obvious to everyone else that Pepper will soon get well. The kids must help Zoey deal with her fear of being too attached to Pepper and then losing her.

When a casual remark by Chloe is misinterpreted, all of Horseland thinks she’s mastered a complex series of jumps. They urge her to represent them at an upcoming competition. Chloe likes the attention she’s getting and can’t bring herself to correct the misunderstanding. But, when it comes time for the jumping event – a very dangerous event – Chloe comes clean and confesses the whole truth.

When Horseland must choose one rider to represent the stable in a big Western Riding competition, Chloe & Zoey’s competitiveness is communicable, and soon even all four of our best friends are on edge. But after Chloe wins, now comes the hard part for everyone else: making up.

Sarah’s positive attitude is sorely tested by a difficult dressage move – a lateral step which she and Scarlet can’t quite get. In time, Sarah loses patience and gives up on ever getting it right. But when the horses are trapped by a rapidly-moving river, the fancy move is their only way out. With patience, Sarah pulls it off and saves her friends.

Molly’s friends from the city want to watch Molly compete, but Molly is worried that they will embarrass her because they won’t know how to be “good spectators.” When they miss the bus stop, Molly drops out of the competition to go find them, and to her surprise, her Horseland friends not only drop out to help her - they love her city pals.

Bailey’s been put in charge for a day, and he lets it go to his head. He turns into a control freak and makes the other kids’ lives very difficult. The kids find a variety of ways of dealing with his attitude, until at last he realizes he’s been behaving poorly.

When a new boy comes to Horseland, Bailey is delighted to have a guy his own age to pal around with, forgetting that he has three good friends already. The girls’ feelings are hurt until Bailey realizes the damage he’s doing.

Tomboyish Alma has a crush on a boy. She goes to the other girls for advice on how to approach the boy – and gets a wide range of opinions. Chloe & Zoey convince her to lose the tomboy style. They give her an extreme make-over, turning her into a fashion diva. Alma finds herself quite uncomfortable in the role, and it’s only when she gets back to being herself that she’s able to approach the boy.

When a blind girl comes to Horseland to ride, the kids find that their complaints pale in comparison to her lack of sight. Her positive attitude is so inspirational that it changes their attitudes too - especially when they discover to their surprise that she can do many things they can’t!

Molly just doesn’t get along with Chloe’s horse Chili. They have a mutual lack of respect. So, when circumstances force them together for a long trail ride, the tension is comically palpable. But when they get separated from the others on the trail ride, they have to overcome their differences, and work together to get home. By the time it’s over Molly & Chili have come to respect each other.

A wild horse is brought to Horseland for gentling, and fills Aztec’s head with tales of how great it is to be free in the wild. Aztec runs away first chance he gets, but soon finds that freedom means having nothing left to lose. Even though he makes friends in the wild, soon he can’t wait to get back to captivity... and Bailey.

Chili encounters a mysterious shaman-like horse one night in the meadow. The old horse teaches Chili a lesson about how the herd instinct (or being part of a society) is beneficial for the whole group.

When a young friend’s beloved horse becomes unrideable after a jumping accident, everything depends on Sarah’s ability to gentle the intractable stallion. At first she fails, and Sarah has a crisis of faith. She thinks she is losing her touch with horses. She finally succeeds in the end, but insists she isn’t a “horse whisperer.”

Sarah has formed a real bond with a reclusive old stable cat. The Horseland animals love him, too – he’s a comical, eccentric character. When Mosey dies, Sarah has real trouble with the loss. Her friends try to help her through it, but, in the end, it’s Will who helps her deal with her emotions by encouraging her to accept that her grief will be with her for a while.

When things turn up missing, circumstantial evidence points to Sarah. At first only Chloe & Zoey blame her, but as each of the other kids lose things too, even they begin to wonder if she may be the culprit. Tension between the kids mounts when they confront Sarah, threatening to ruin their riding teamwork for an upcoming parade. Luckily Molly uncovers the real culprit – a crow – just in time to mend fences and restore their friendship.

Hardhearted Zoey develops real affection for an injured little bird, which she nurses back to health. Her feelings are so deep, she has trouble parting with the bird once it is well again. She learns real compassion when she finally lets it go.

A young, egotistical designer comes to Horseland to photograph his new line of stylish riding clothing for trendy BGQ (Bridles & Grooming Quarterly) magazine, and wants the kids to be his real-life models. The clothes are awkward and dangerous, but the kids are too hesitant to say anything... until Chloe is almost hurt trying to show off her jumping skills while wearing them.

A few of the Horseland kids fly to France for an International Exhibition. Sarah’s father wants her to befriend a young rider from India, named Simbala, but the two have trouble bonding... until they’re trapped in a cave together. They quickly learn to respect one another and end up being great friends.

Alma tries to change her riding style to better compete against an opponent from another stable. At the same time, Chloe & Zoey try to learn to be nice. In both cases, it doesn’t work, and they ultimately return to their old ways. In Alma’s case, being true to herself helps her win the competition.

Alma mistakenly thinks Molly is spreading malicious gossip about Sarah. The gossip has a toxic effect on all friendships, and leads to the girls imposing the Silent Treatment on Molly. This story utilizes material provided by the Western Justice Foundation.