Heartland is my favorite tv show because of the family connections. Amy, one of the main characters, is a horse trainer that helps aid injured horses as well as maintain good relationships with those who are trying to get by one day at a time. The entire family lives in the original farmhouse and loves it. It is close to all of the barns and family.  “This story follows the Fleming-Bartlett family through love and loss, friendship, betrayal, marriage, and children,” said Amy at the reunion.   I first fell in love with this series when my mom started watching it on our tv. Throughout the summer my entire family and I would watch 1 to 2 episodes every night. Heartland has 15 seasons so it took all summer to watch it. I love watching it because it takes place on a farm just like the farm that I live on. It is a multi-generational farm that has been passed down. Heartland has Beautiful Scenery, Ranching, Generations, and Family Values.  

In Heartland, there is a lot of beautiful scenery. The dude ranch is one of Lou’s two businesses. It is a little down the road from the Heartland farm. It is made up of 4 cabins with horses and mountains. The Dude Ranch is a peaceful and tranquil remote getaway set in a remote location with views of rolling hills and a working ranch. Into the harkened light of day, into the blessed blue, comes a silhouette that is born of sharpening light. To the eye, the adjusting eyes, to the brain still processing to freshly brightened hues, appears doors, windows, a roof of fine tile, a cabin of gray castled heart.     Ty and Amy make their way up to Pike River. Pike River is a small town about 4 hours north of Heartland.  The soft white snow fell down the mountain slowly, trapping the horses. It has a small very divided community that struggles to work together. In the Rocky Mountains, Amy and Ty try to convince everyone to work together to help free the horses. After convincing them the town folks grab anything that can help get the horses free.    The Heartland Ranch is in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains and takes place in a fictional town. But Showcases scenery from Alberta, Canada. It includes Horse barns, Corrals, and Pastures. One would think it was all filmed on the ranch but, really they filmed it in various locations around Alberta at various locations especially because some of the set was ruined in a flood in 2013 forcing them to rewrite the script. Heartland began as a best-selling novel then transitioned to a television show. Heartland is my favorite tv show because of its beautiful scenery. 

Ranching is one of the main components while living on a ranch. Spartan was mysteriously stolen, so Ty and Amy start searching for him at horse auctions. Ty buys a 2-year-old horse (Harley) for Amy hoping it will make her feel better. Amy thought he bought Harley to replace Spartan. They see Spartan being purchased by Wes; Amy contests the sale but cannot prove ownership. Ty tries to buy Spartan back from Wes but only gets in a fight. Ty reluctantly agrees to help Amy steal Spartan from the auction house to protect her from jail. Ty is caught and arrested and bailed out by Jack.  Jack and Tim find Wes and force him to sign a bill of sale, returning Spartan.      Amy and Ty begin looking after Mr. Hanley's abandoned farm after finding his untended horse. Hanley returns days later to say he is bankrupt and losing the farm, and Amy is upset with him for leaving his horses. The SPCA (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) learns of this and plans to take the horses and possibly euthanize some of them. Ty and Amy find Hanley's sister has returned to Hudson and she helps save the farm.    In season 4 episode 17 Amy tells Ty that she only wants to work with horses that need her help. Caleb's friend Bryce, a paralyzed military veteran and former rodeo star hire Amy to get his roping horse ready to sell. However, Amy sees an opportunity to re-train both horse and rider, though she needs help to convince Bryce that he can recapture his love for riding. Meanwhile, Jack becomes hopeful when the Rodeo Hall of Fame contacts him, but they want him to speak at Tim's induction. Tim pesters Jack about his speech, but Jack misses the banquet when he has to take Lou to the hospital with false labor.  Ranching with family and friends is one of the key factors of this show. 

Heartland is written about a four-generation family that lives on a farm. Mallory takes steps to ensure that Copper, her favorite horse, won't be sold by Lou. She learns that a ranch hand named Wes has plans to sell a herd of wild mustangs to a slaughterhouse. With everyone's help, Amy frees the mustangs and gets Wes fired. Tim (Amy’s dad)  brings Amy a roping horse with a fear of cattle being treated. Jack avoids the family reunion with Tim by going on a second date with Lisa. Ty practices his cattle roping skills but discovers he still has a lot to learn about cattle. Lou becomes enraged with Tim after he forces her to jump Spartan and pushes Amy to work his horse until she gets hurt.    Ty and Amy find a calf in the woods which leads them to Tim's stolen cattle. Jack talks Tim into going to the police, but Tim feels the police are not moving quickly enough and convinces the family to take action. During the cattle drive, they encounter the rustlers who shot Tim when they took the cattle. They ambush the rustlers and force them in the trailer for the police, and Tim has the family drive the cattle to the police station to tell them that he did their job for them. Mallory doesn’t listen and rides out to find the family gets herself in a bad situation.    In season 5 episode 3 Lou waves panic as the family gathers for her baby's naming ceremony. Jack is struggling to fix the fireplace and she fears Peter's parents don't like her. Lou talks with Peter's mother and finds that she really likes her and that her family also has issues. Peter's father helps Jack repair the fireplace. Meanwhile, Miranda and Shane unexpectedly arrive, and Shane is convinced that Tim is going to propose to Miranda. Tim and Miranda decide to tell Shane that Tim is his father, but Tim accidentally reveals it at the family dinner, and Shane storms out. Amy finds Shane and talks to him with Ty, but it doesn't go so well when Tim tries talking with him. Shane tells his mother that he wants to go but Lou stops them because they're part of the family and she needs the whole family to do some things together. Lou and Amy have Shane pick a stone for the fireplace, to permanently include him. Cisco's training continues to make progress through Amy and Janice seeing things differently. Scott gives Ty a chance to earn some money by working at the vet clinic. This family is a four-generation family who all work together to help keep the family farm alive. 

Family values influence Heartland because it is a multigenerational farm and they give an outlook on life.  Tim exploits his injury to enjoy special treatment from everyone. He has been secretly dating Callie Phillips, who arrives to take care of him, but he lies to her about having told everyone. Tim returns to Big River, and Callie leaves him due to the lie. Amy feels guilty over Tim's injury and is jealous of Ty dating Kit. Caleb is not showing up for work and Amy goes to talk to him. Ty helps settle a new horse (Boxer) into Heartland's stable, when they have trouble they call the owner, Hank Adams, to come help. While he is there, his daughter and Amy's teacher, Ruth Adams, frantically arrive and explain that Hank has Alzheimer's disease. Amy agrees to keep Boxer and to let Hank visit when he can, and Ruth brings Hank to see Boxer and listen to records he played on at the house. Amy goes to see Caleb again and he tells her Ty is with Kit and he gave up on her too easily. Caleb says he will fight for Amy and she kisses Caleb tells him to get back to work.  In season 3 episode 3 Jack insists on driving his truck to take Lisa and him to a wedding and it breaks down causing them to miss the wedding. The family encourages Jack to buy a new truck which he begrudgingly does. Amy is excited about taking Ty to the school dance, but Ty is not too sure about going. Jack, not happy with the new truck, leaves for the fishing cabin after arguing with Lisa, where he has a flashback about receiving the truck as an anniversary present from Lindie. Lisa goes to see Jack and they talk about the truck. Ty takes dancing lessons from Lou so he does embarrass Amy. Jack takes the new truck back and gets a used truck almost as old as his truck, which he got back to use for parts. Ty's truck breaks down on the way to the dance and Amy blames him saying he just didn’t want to go. Ty gets Amy to dance with him in the truck bed and gives Amy a promise ring.     In season 5 episode 2 Janice returns with a new racehorse, Cisco, and resumes her relationship with Tim. Janice and Amy come into conflict over training Cisco, so Amy takes the horse to Heartland and Cisco improves. Jack takes Time to Moose Jaw to make arrangements with Miranda (Tim’s ex-girlfriend). It doesn't go well, but Jack smooths it out the following day. Meanwhile, Mallory's bad advice causes Amy to worry about Ty moving out. Ty invites Amy to dinner at his place, but his plans go away when the raccoon makes itself at home. Ty thinks of something else they both enjoy, and they later take the guest to a new home. Mallory seeks sympathy for messing up with Jake. Family values are important because they teach you life lessons that are helpful in the real world. 

“This story follows the Fleming-Bartlett family through love and loss, friendship, betrayal, marriage, and children.” Heartland is my favorite TV show because of the storyline. This summer my dad’s side of the family all went on a trip to South Dakota. We spent a week at a working ranch. We got to see how that family ran their ranch with cattle, horses, and sheep. They had 6 dogs to help guide the animals when they move pens or bring them in at night from pasture. One of the days they were branding some of the new calves. Livestock branding is a technique for marking livestock to identify the owner.  (Branding does not hurt them.) The last full day we were there we went on a trail ride to see the wild horses and sheep in the mountains. We all thought it was cool and would go back. South Dakota and Canada are somewhat similar. They both are known for their varied wildlife and breathtaking natural scenery. Canada is sometimes called the Great White North and South Dakota is called The Mount Rushmore State. It has drama, romance and a little bit of comedy. Heartland has Beautiful Scenery, Ranching, Generations, and Family Values. I love watching this show with my family because it has responsibility, honesty, and integrity within the family.