#nani cloud

Appreciation Post for the unique Horseland Characters

I always had a soft spot for these characters. Since my childhood I know them and appreciate them. They show us that no one is perfect and how important true friends are as well as it is important to be kind and patient with your horse. Also Will and Jimber are such underrated characters in the show, I wish they had more screen time with the other characters, especially Will more with Sarah. 😉

Time for me to show up out of the weeds with my completely unsolicited headcannons and theories for obscure television series that I should be way too old for again lol. Today's victim:

Horseland

There seems to be a general consensus on the ages of the various human characters in Horseland. That fanon conclusion being that the main characters are all around 15 yrs old, with the exception of Will, who is slightly older at 16-17 years old. I disagree with this assessment.

First let's look at some direct quotes from some of the episodes.

Episodic Evidence

1) Episode: "You Can't Judge A Girl By Her Limo" (S1E1)

"You calmed Button down better than I could and I've been riding her for five years!" - Alma Rodriguez

This quote provides some clues about Alma's age, or at least the minimum age that Alma can be. Most riding instructors will take students at the age of 9, with some taking as young as 6 years of age. Being's that Alma's dad is the manager at Horseland, I think that Alma would have began riding at a very young age. By that logic, Alma is somewhere between 11-14 years old, unless she rode a different horse before Button.

https://horsesafetytips.com/2020/06/04/whats-the-best-age-to-start-horseback-riding-lessons/

2) Episode: "Fire, Fire, Burning Bright" (S1E5)

This episode has some interesting quotes that may give clues to the main character's ages, or at least the Stilton girls ages and Will's age.

"Let me get this straight, you got all the way to middle school without learning to swim?" - Molly Washington

Wouldn't it be odd that Molly specifically mentions Chloe and Zoey making it to middle school (11-14 yrs old, in Canada from Wikipedia) without having learned how to swim if they were high school aged (14-18 yrs old)? If they were in high school, she probably would've said that instead. Beings that the series likes to remind us that Chloe is older than Zoey, that would mean that Chloe is about 12-14, and Zoey is around 11-13 years old. Either that or they are twins, but that doesn't seem to be the case (I myself have a sister that is 1 and 1/2 yrs older than me, and I also had a close relationship to her growing up). The only evidence I have seen that points to them being twins as opposed to being siblings close in age is the names rhyming with each other (Although my mom's friend's four grandchildren all have names ending with the -en sound and I went to school with twins that had non-ryhming names so that isn't a very strong argument imo)

"But I was in charge of the trip. I am responsible for everyone." - Will Taggert

This one's a bit less obvious, but as a volunteer that has worked with minors on weekend retreats before, I know that organizations and schools typically require (often by law) at least one faculty chaperone to be 18+ yrs old and to have clearances stating that they have never abused a child or commited a crime (usually, they also want more than one adult chaperone per group as well, but we'll let this slide based on the fact that there are only 5 minors going on this trip). From this line and his role in this episode's plot, we can deduce that Will is the staff member from Horseland facilitating this overnight event, and thus is at least 18-19 years old. This makes sense. Will has a rather unique role in the series compared to the other characters. He is a sort of groundsman and riding instructor at Horseland, rather than a student. His aunt and uncle (Bailey's parents) are also his employers. Reasonably, if I had to pinpoint a narrow age range for Will, I would say that he is 18-21 years old, although I wouldn't discredit him even being as old as his mid twenties (at least in season 3), almost solely based on his demeanor and almost laid-back relationships with the other main characters. His behavior in this episode even supports this. I went through a similar predicament, albeit on a smaller scale, while acting as a hiking guide at the age of 20 on one such aforementioned retreat. I blamed myself for potentially endangering these students, even though they were told to follow my lead and instead went off trail at one of the more dangerous parts of the trail. Likewise, Will blamed himself for the forest fire, even though it was really Chloe and Zoey's actions that caused the fire, for the sole reason that he was the adult responsible for the trip and all the students he took on it and thus is immediately liable for anything bad that happens (Well more like Horseland would be liable, and Will would be at risk of losing his job and/or facing fines or criminal charges). From this episode and how Will progresses throughout the series, I'd say Will is in his early stages of leadership and that is why I chose an age range closer to the ages of majority in Canada (which depends on which province Horseland supposedly exists in). I know some of y'all may be thinking about this, so I'll address it while I'm still on Will. In several of the episodes featuring competitions, while we never actually see him compete, Will is on Jimber and wearing typical dressage wear as opposed to his jeans and t-shirt (See "Changing Spots"). Some may say that this proves that he is actually a student as well. It may be possible that he is a student as well, and simply tutors more ameteur riders in his free time, but this says nothing about his age, only that he would be more advanced than the other main characters. He also could be dressed like that just for show for the competition. Additionally, while I know very little about equestrian competitions, while I was in HS winter colorguard, my instructor (a college student) usually would compete with a different club in a different age category at the same competition. It may not be disimilar.

3) Episode: "Pepper's Pain" (S1E7) "Zoey, you guys have been together for years. Your dressage proves how well you've grown as a team." - Chloe Stilton

The information provided in this line from Chloe is ambiguous. However, the emphasis she puts on years implies that Zoey has been riding Pepper for like a really long time, although she may just be emphasizing this word as she's trying to make a point to Zoey. Regardless, it is safe to say that Zoey has been riding Pepper for at least 5 years. That would put her in the same minimum age range as Alma, 11 to 14 years old.

4) Episode: "The Competition" (S1E9)

"Oh my gosh, what a huge let-down. First off, his girlfriend was there, and they were both old! He was at least thirty." - Chloe Stilton

This ones a bit of a reach, but what teenager thinks that 30 is old? I certainly didn't (then again, I did grow up surrounded by family members that are elderly, so take my words with a grain of salt). Regardless, this statement solidifies the argument that Chloe is probably middle school aged, rather than high school aged. As we progress from childhood to adolescence into adulthood, the perception of "oldness" changes. Have you ever seen the vine where this little girl (likely kindergarten aged) famously says "I'm 16! I'm a grandmother!". If you were a middle schooler, you probably would consider 30 to be old. There are many articles that document this phenomenon:

5) Episode: "Heritage Day" (S03E10)

"Zoey, they eat mosquitoes, not teenage girls." - Nani Cloud

This line takes place after the girls are frightened by a group of bats sharing the cave they took shelter in from a storm. This line clearly states that at this point of the series, most if not all of the main girls are teenagers (ages 13-19). We can conclude one of two things, depending on how one percieves this show's timeline, since the line is said towards the end of the show's final season. A) The girls have always been teenagers or B) There is a time skip between season's 2 and 3. For me, B is plausible if we try to explain Bailey and Will's voice changes cannonically. But B is also not plausible considering Will is already an adult and would have already undergone a voice change. Thus I will say that the ages of the girls are constant through the series at the lower range of the teens, perhaps even preteens.

Plots and Storylines

Next, let's look at the plots of the episodes. A lot of the episodic plots support most of the main cast being preteens or in their very early teens. Molly getting her first cellphone, Alma getting her first crush, Chloe lying about being able to do an advanced jump to impress her peers, Sarah getting her first taste of death through the loss of a beloved pet, etc. Not to mention, many of the episodes are driven by some drama being stirred up (middle schoolers are notorious for being awful to each other). These are all typical problems that preteens face during this stage of their life. You may be inclined to think that all of the MCs are in middle school from this, but there is some evidence for some of the characters being slightly older than others. In the episode "The Best Loss", Molly is out with her friends at a pizza parlor with no parents in sight and has been able to take the public bus to and from Horseland on her own for the entire duration of the series. In the episode "Talk, Talk", she's even talking to her friend Amber about what she should wear to a party. This leads me to believe that Molly is slightly older than the other girls. Bailey also falls under this category. In the season 1 episode "Boss Bailey", Bailey is left in charge of Horseland for a day when his parents and Will have to go facilitate a parade. Even with Bailey being the owner's son, I think that they would not want to leave a middle schooler in charge of an entire riding school. Bailey is also used as an example during a lot of Will's lessons to the other MCs, demonstrating jumps, meaning he's probably more advanced than the other riders. He also does a lot of the groundwork and maintenance with Will (such as in "Pepper's Pain", "Fire, Fire Burning Bright", and "Wild Horses"). For these reasons, I think Bailey is a bit older than the girls.

Conclusion

I could go on and on, analyzing each character's behaviors one by one, but I'd essentially just be rewriting the show's script interspersed with my own interpretation. That is most of what this conclusion is, my interpretation of the characters based on my own life experiences and the collective characterizations the show provides across its three seasons. So with that being said, here are my guesses as to the ages of the characters.

Sarah Whitney -        13 Molly Washington -  14 Alma Rodriguez -     13 Chloe Stilton -           14 Zoey Stilton -            13 Bailey Handler -        15 Nani Cloud -              13 Will Taggert -            20

I chose most of the main characters to be so close in age to each other as they are all in the same "practices" at Horseland, as well as how they interact with each other.

So, what do y'all think? Do you agree with the ages I chose for each character? Why or why not?

Do not interact if: TERF, SWERF, homophobe, Transphobe, exclusionist, etc.

Do not tag as Kin/Me.

Nani Cloud from Horseland Stimboard for Anonymous.

A Horseland Reboot

Horseland - an underrated Gem

I know this series since I was a little kid and rediscovered it recently. It was like meeting an old friend seeing all the characters again with their beautiful horses. The colors they chose for every rider and horse let them stand out and make them unique. They also let them feel connected.

But what really makes this series stand out from all other horse media is that they tackel some serious issues. Like grief, gossip, how dangerous fake news can be, jealousy, judging people without knowing them…

This show also has some really cute ships and potential couples, I felt they had more plans with them but hadn’t enough seasons to tackel it. So they did it subtle but also show a really healthy relationship like with Will and Sarah and a bit of a toxic relationship like with Bailey and Chloe. They sadly never got together. But I think Will and Sarah got together off screen because they clearly had feelings for each other and would’ve deserved to be together. What they also really did well, was not telling us that these characters had feelings for each other, they actively showed us.

Now to the characters. I just introduce you to my favorite, because they are many including the horses and the pets of the ranch.

Sarah Whitney & Scarlet:

Sarah is a friendly girl and a really good role model. She’s selfless,kind, determined and has a strong bond towards horses through to her sensitive nature. Sarah always tries her best and wants everyone to feel welcome and accepted due to her first meeting with the Horseland gang as she was new. She’s like Will one of the more level headed characters and is the voice of reason in the group. She’s always ready to help her friends and is a clever girl. She firmly believes that "clothes are just clothes" and they are to be held at a lesser value than friendship, which earns her no respect from Chloe and Zoe.

Scarlet is just as her rider a kind horse. She always knows when Sarah’s upset or sad and is always there for her owner. The bond they share is the most explored and definitely the deepest. Scarlet is the lead mare of the Horseland herd. She’s with Sarah since she was was seven.

Will Taggert and Jimber

Will is Baileys Cousin and lives with his relatives since he was a little boy. Some fans speculate that his parents died in an accident and this is the reason why he lives on Horseland and never talks about his parents. It would also explain why he blames himself in one episode, due to feeling powerless when his parents died, it would also explain how he was the only who really understood Sarah when she lost Mosey. He‘s a very understanding and kind hearted person. For him the respectful treatment of horses as well as other humans is very important. He’s the oldest of the group and Sarah’s love interest and seems to have feelings for her too. He always is there for her as well as she’s always there for him. They stand up for each other and seem to have a deep connection due to their shared love for riding and horses.

His horse is Jimber, a powerful palomino gelding. Jimber is the oldest and wisest of the horses. He is the lead stallion and was in his early years a farm horse before he came to Will. There Releationship is not much showed but from what you can see is, that they have a deep understanding for each other.

Nani Cloud & Sunburst:

Nani is a Native American girl from the Cherokee tribe and is very proud of her roots. She’s smart and is a very talented rider. She loves the nature and loves open spaces. She’s the only one of the gang who rides bare back. Nani seems to be a free spirit and is a confindet young woman.

Sunburst is Nani’s beautiful paint horse stallion. He loves his freedom and is a calm and friendly horse.

Best episodes in my opinion and also my favorites:

Mosey

Fire, Fire, burning bright

The horse whisperer

The last drop

Wild Horses

You can’t judge a girl by her limo

The awful truth

Cry wolf

The competition

Heritage Days

The big parade

The Secret

No News is good News

Talk, Talk

The protest (Zoey killed me in this episode with how funny she was.)

My top three favorite Horseland Characters

Sarah Whitney: Do I even have to explain shes gorgeous, kind and always there for her friends. Despite being a girl from a rich family Sarah is very grounded and doesn’t think shes better because of her rich parents. Her relationship to horses is much stronger due to her sensitive nature. She always tries to understand and do her best whatever she can. Sarah can be a little perfectionist sometimes as seen in the can do kid episode. Out of all her friends she has the strongest relationship to her horse. It’s like they understand each other without words. This why she also is called by her friends the horse whisperer. Sarah is still unsure of her talent but she seems to gain a bit of confidence when she and Will worked together with one wild Mustang named Puma.

Will Taggert: The most underrated character of the show and a fan favorite. I know no one who doesn’t likes Will. He’s friendly and calm and loves horses especially his palomino gelding Jimber. For Will the well being of the horses comes always first. When his aunt and uncle arent there he’s responsible for Horseland. Regardless of the weight that lies sometimes on his shoulders he’s very laid back guy, who enjoys listening to country music and loves western riding. He’s with Sarah the most level headed at the show and let’s be real Will and Sarah were basically the groups mom and dad of the Horseland Gang, cause they always know a wise word. Even Will and Jimber are sadly in fewer episodes than the rest of the gang you can see and feel their strong connection, especially in fire fire burning bright. I just wished we got one Will related episode he’s such a good character. Will is actually the reason why we need a Horseland reboot with a darker tone, even though Horseland dived sometimes into mature themes it was still to some extent light hearted. I need to know what happened to his parents because it’s said that he lives on Horseland since he was a little boy, which indicates to me that something had happened to his parents.