Since the pilot aired in 2007, Heartland has always centred around horses, not only as background characters, but as main characters themselves. For example, Stormy, the horse that originally played Spartan, is still used in the show. The handsome black Quarter Horse gelding is Amy Fleming-Borden’s main horse in the show. “Stormy is still with us and still very much a part of the show. To have one horse being the main [animal] character over 12 seasons is something you don’t see every day,” said Amber Marshall, who plays Amy Fleming-Borden.
Spartan (“Stormy & Stetson”)
“Stormy was only five when the show started,” Amber said. “I was impressed that a five-year-old did so well under the pressure that we put him in. There’s a lot of different sights, sounds and people, and things going on – it would be unsettling to most horses. He took everything in stride. He seems to really enjoy it. You watch him on set and he watches everyone doing their thing. It’s almost as if when we use other horses, he gets angry, like ‘Wait a minute, this is my job!’
“Over the years, he has developed arthritis and he’s getting up there himself – he’s in his late teens now – so we’ve had to use other horses for a lot of the scenes that require more athleticism. We just don’t want to put that demand on him.