# The Saddle Club

The Saddle Club is an Australian-Canadian children's television series developed by Sarah Dodd, based on the books written by Bonnie Bryant. Like the book series, the scripted live action series follows the lives of three best friends in training to compete in equestrian competitions at the fictional Pine Hollow Stables, while dealing with problems in their personal lives. This series debuted in 2001 and ended in 2009.

## Premise

The series follows the experiences of three girls, who establish a club called "The Saddle Club" after recognizing their mutual passion for horseback riding. Their rival is another young rider at the stables named Veronica DiAngelo.
Throughout the series, The Saddle Club navigates their rivalry with Veronica, training for competitions, horse shows, and the quotidian dramas that arise between friends and staff in the fictional Pine Hollow Stables. In each show, The Saddle Club prevails over its adversities, usually sending a message emphasizing the importance of friendship and teamwork.

## Episodes

| Series | Episodes | Episodes | Originally released | Originally released |
| Series | Episodes | Episodes | First released | Last released |
| 1 | 26 | 26 | 30 April 2001 (2001-04-30) | 4 June 2001 (2001-06-04) |
| 2 | 26 | 26 | 28 April 2003 (2003-04-28) | 2 June 2003 (2003-06-02) |
| 3 | 26 | 26 | 7 September 2008 (2008-09-07) | 10 April 2009 (2009-04-10) |

## Cast

| Characters | Season 1 | Season 2 | Season 3 |
| Carole Hanson | Keenan MacWilliam | Keenan MacWilliam | Victoria Campbell |
| Stephanie "Stevie" Lake | Sophie Bennett | Sophie Bennett | Lauren Dixon |
| Elizabeth "Lisa" Atwood | Lara Jean Marshall | Lara Jean Marshall | Ariel Kaplan |
| Veronica DiAngelo | Heli Simpson | Heli Simpson | Marny Kennedy |
| Kristina "Kristi" Cavanaugh | Kia Luby | Kia Luby | |
| Desiree "Desi" Biggins | | | Aisha Dee |
| Melanie Atwood | Marisa Siketa | Jessica Jacobs | Ella-Rose Shenman |
| Ashley Taylor | Janelle Corlass-Brown | Janelle Corlass-Brown | |
| Jessica "Jess" Cooper | | | Kaiya Jones |
| Elizabeth "Mrs. Reg" Regnery | Catherine Wilkin | Catherine Wilkin | Briony Behets |
| Maximillion "Max" Regnery | Brett Tucker | Brett Tucker | Richard Davies |
| Dorothee Doutey | | Matylda Buczko | |
| Jackson "Jack" O'Neil | | | Troy Lovett |
| Phillip "Phil" Marsten | Glenn Meldrum | Glenn Meldrum | Cosmo Feltham |
| Murray Richards | | Troy Lovett | Rory Donegan |
| Deborah Hale Regnery | Cathy Godbold | Cathy Godbold | |
| Andrew "Drew" Regnery | | Nikolai Nikolaeff | |
| Redford "Red" O'Malley | Nathan Phillips | James O'Dea | |
| Brian "Scooter" Mucahy | | Alex Marriott | |
| Megan | Sophie Hensser | | |
| Samuel "Sam" | Anthony Hammer | | |
| Simon Atherton | | | Connor Jessup |
| Dr. Judith "Judy" Barker | Maggie King | Maggie King | Leverne McDonnell |
| Ashley "Chewie" Becker | | | Jackson Gallagher |
| Eleanor Atwood | Marie-Louise Walker | Marie-Louise Walker | |
| Colonel Mitchell "Mitch" Hanson | Christopher Kirby | Christopher Kirby | Christopher Kirby |
| Helen DiAngelo | Melanie Ryder | | |
| Frances "Frank" DiAngelo | Anthony Hawkins | Anthony Hawkins | |
| Orlando Cooper | | | Gerard Kennedy |
| John Brightstar | Nick Russell | | |
    Note: A grey cell indicates the character did not appear in that series.

## Production

The original series was filmed in Yarra Valley, Victoria in Australia, but involved a cast of mixed nationalities.
In 2007, a news release announced a casting call and the production of a third series, which was filmed from late 2007 to early 2008. The third series was filmed in Daylesford, Victoria.

## Broadcast

The show was broadcast from 2001 until 2009, with 78 episodes over three series. The third series broadcast from 7 September 2008 to 10 April 2009. Regionally, the cast of the television series released a series of music albums such as Friends Forever, On Top of the World, Secrets & Dreams and Hello World – The Best of the Saddle Club, and appeared in live performances such as the 2004 Sydney Royal Easter Show. A new Saddle Club CD, Best Friends, was sold in Australia in stores and on The Saddle Club's website and in the US and Canada as a digital download.
The popularity of the series soon after its premiere on YTV and the ABC promoted international syndication and it made its American debut in January 2002 on Discovery Kids.
In the United States, the series later aired on Horse Racing TV and was distributed independently by Connecticut Public Television and American Public Television through public television stations nationwide, most notably PBS. The series also briefly aired in reruns on The Hub.
In Canada, it aired on YTV, and in the United Kingdom on CITV, Horse & Country and Pop Girl. It was broadcast by the French children's specialty channel Gulli, dubbed into French.
Series 3 was broadcast on Discovery Kids in the United States starting on February 22, 2009, while sneak views has been shown on "Saddle Club Sundays" in December 2008. In Australia, the new series commenced on Channel Nine and WIN TV on March 7, 2009.
WIN Television airs a compilation movie of "Horse Shy", "Mystery Weekend" and "School Horse" (episode 6-8 of series 1) every Christmas Day since 2017.

## Other media
### Australian Videos

* The Saddle Club: Adventures At Pine Hollow (2001)
* The Saddle Club: Horse Crazy (2002)
* The Saddle Club: The Mane Event (2003)
* The Saddle Club: The First Adventure (2003)
* The Saddle Club: Friends Forever (2004)
* The Saddle Club: Storm (2004)
* The Saddle Club: Saving Pine Hollow (2005)

### Australian DVDs

* The Saddle Club: Adventures At Pine Hollow (2002)
* The Saddle Club: Horse Crazy (2003)
* The Saddle Club: The Mane Event (2003)
* The Saddle Club: The First Adventure (2003)
* The Saddle Club: Friends Forever (2004)
* The Saddle Club: Storm (2004)
* The Saddle Club: Saving Pine Hollow (2005)
* The Saddle Club: Series 1 (2005)
* The Saddle Club: Series 2 (2006)
* The Saddle Club: The First Adventure (2009 Re-release)
* The Saddle Club: Adventures at Pine Hollow (2009 Re-release) - Released as "More Adventures at Pine Hollow"
* The Saddle Club: Horse Crazy (2009 Re-release)
* The Saddle Club: The Mane Event (2009 Re-release)
* The Saddle Club: Friends Forever (2009 Re-release)
* The Saddle Club: Storm (2009 Re-release)
* The Saddle Club: Saving Pine Hollow (2009 Re-release)
* The Saddle Club: Back in the Saddle (2010)
* The Saddle Club: Back in the Saddle (Handle Case) (2010)
* The Saddle Club: Horseback Riders (2010)
* The Saddle Club: Horseback Riders (Handle Case) (2010)
* The Saddle Club: Ride Free (2010)
* The Saddle Club: Staying the Distance (2010)
* The Saddle Club: Happy Trails (2010)

### Computer game

* The Saddle Club: Willowbrook Stables (2002)
* The Saddle Club (2010)

## Discography
### Studio albums

List of studio albums, with selected details, chart positions and certifications :
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications |
| Title | Album details | AUS | Certifications |
| Fun for Everyone | Released: November 2002 Label: Shock (TSC02) Formats: CD | 45 | |
| On Top of the World | Released: May 2003 Label: Shock (TSC03) Formats: CD | 20 | ARIA: Gold |
| Friends Forever | Released: September 2003 Label: Shock (TSC06) Formats: CD | 38 | |
| Secrets & Dreams | Released: April 2004 Label: Shock (TSC12) Formats: CD | 49 | |

### Compilation albums

List of compilation albums, with selected details and chart positions :
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions |
| Title | Album details | AUS |
| Hello World – The Best of the Saddle Club | Released: November 2004 Label: Shock (TSC14) Formats: CD | 59 |
| Best Friends | Released: 2009 Label: Shock (TSC 301) Formats: CD | — |

### Extended plays

* Special Mane Event (2004)

### Singles

List of singles, with selected chart positions :
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications |
| Title | Year | AUS | Certifications |
| "We Are the Saddle Club" | 2002 | — | |
| "Hello World"/"Hey Hey What You Say" | 2002 | 20 | ARIA: Gold |
| "Wonderland" | 2003 | 17 | |
| "Boogie Oogie Oogie"/"Undercover Movers and Shakers" | 2003 | 29 | |
| "Everybody Come On" | 2003 | — | |
| "Undercover Movers and Shakers" | 2004 | 42 | |
| "L.I.F.E." | 2004 | 34 | |
| "Welcome to the Saddle Club" | 2004 | — | |
| "Sleeping Under the Stars" | 2004 | — | |
| "These Girls" | 2009 | — | |

### Read Along CD

* The Saddle Club: Horse Sense (2002) – ABC Audio 3-hour, 3-CD set read by Lucy Bell

### Sophie & Kia
#### Albums

* Planet Tokyo (2005) – Australia
* He's Everything (2005) – Australia
* Raw Beauty (2005) – Australia
* Spin (2005) – Australia
* Raw Beauty Acoustic Sessions (2005) – Australia

#### Singles

* "Planet Tokyo" (2005) – No. 41 Australia
* "He's Everything" (2005) – No. 40 Australia

### Heli Simpson
#### Albums

* Princess Veronica (2004)

#### Extended plays

* Princess Veronica Tour (2004)

#### Singles

* "Don't Ask Me" (2004) – No. 16 Australia

### Ashley and Melanie
#### Singles

* "Trouble" (2003) – No. 30 Australia

## Awards
### ARIA Music Awards

| Year | Nominated works | Award | Result |
| 2003 | On Top of the World | Best Children's Album | Nominated |
| 2003 | On Top of the World | Best Original Cast/Show Recording | Nominated |
| 2004 | Friends Forever | Best Children's Album | Nominated |
| 2009 | Best Friends | Best Children's Album | Nominated |