The Saddle Club (seasons 1 & 2)

The Saddle Club (seasons 1 & 2)
🎵“Hello world, this is me, life should be mmm mmm yeah, fun for everyone.”🎵
Genre: Comedy-drama Family Running Time: 21-23 minutes Country: Australia Canada Release Date: February 6, 2001 - June 2, 2003 Network(s): YTV (Canada) ABC TV (Australia) Created by: Sarah Dodd Distributed by: Protocol Entertainment Discovery Kids Connecticut Public Television American Public Television Starring: Keenan MacWilliam Sophie Bennett Lara Jean Marshall Heli Simpson Kia Luby Seasons: 2 Episodes: 52

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.

Only two series with a total of 52 episodes were originally planned, but due to popular demand, a third series was filmed being a soft reboot over the first two seasons.

Why These Seasons Can Say "Hello World"

1. These seasons of "The Saddle Club" are notable for their faithfulness to the original books and the introduction of many memorable and likable characters. The show features:
   • Carole, Stevie, Lisa, Veronica, Kristi, Red, Ashley, Melanie, Mrs. Reg, Max, Deborah, Phil, Dorothée, Liam, Scooter, Drew, and more.
   • The acting is generally strong, helping to bring these characters to life.
2. Like most australian children's shows the series is filmed with a single camera and has no laugh track, which adds to its realism. This approach proves that sitcoms can succeed without relying on canned laughter.
3. The instrumental theme song of ''Hello World'' is very good and catchy.
4. It teaches valuable morals, such as:
   • "Support your friends"
   • "Don't judge a book by its cover"
   • "Work as a team"
   • "Always ask for help when needed"
   • "No matter how hard a task is, never give up"
   • "Don’t be too strict when it comes to rules"
5. The show also discusses social issues, including:
   • Belonging to a group of friends
   • Inclusion
   • Navigating relationships with boys
   • Dealing with embarrassment around males
   • Addressing social classes and mild bullying
   • Providing supervision and direction
6. The series includes several standout episodes:
   • "Trail Ride (Part 1-2)"
   • "Greener Pastures (Part 1-2)"
   • "Flying Change"
   • "Bridle Path (Part 1-2)"
   • "Show Ponies (Part 1-2)"
   • "Love Is In The Air"
   • "Stevie's Bad Day"
   • "Join Up"
   • "Odd Girl Out"
7. Phil is a compelling love interest for Stevie, adding a romantic dimension to the story. The show can also be serious and emotional at times, tackling more profound themes.
8. The series boasts amazing set design and decent lighting, filmed at a real stable, which enhances the authenticity.
9. There are many funny and heartwarming moments throughout the series. As the series progresses, characters grow and develop, with Veronica, in particular, revealing a sympathetic side on several occasions.
10. The show features great original songs, such as:
    • "Hello World"
    • "Hey Hey What You Say"
    • "Trouble"
    • "Perfect Boy"
    • "Dreams Come True"
    • "Together We Are"
    • "On Top Of The World"
    • "Crush On You"
    • "We Can Do Anything"
    • "The Best That I Can"
    • "Here I Am"
11. It is excellent for children interested in riding competitions. The final episode of Season 2, "Finishing Strongly," was decent and could have served as a perfect conclusion if the series had not continued.
12. In 2008, the series was revived, much to the delight of fans who had missed the show since its original run ended in 2003. Although the revival did not match the original seasons' quality, it still demonstrated effort and was appreciated by some of the older audience despite mixed reviews.

Bad Qualities

1. After being revived in 2008, the series has experienced a minor decline in quality during it's third season.
2. The producers should've made a 3rd season while most of the original cast we're younger, around in 2004.
3. Some fans say that it didn't hold enough relevance to the books (amongst other things) while others felt it was a worthy adaptation with all the charm of the book series still intact.
4. Wasted Potential: The series wasn't a Pine Hollow adaptation carrying on with the original cast which is shame, because rather then having a new cast, we could've seen the main characters going to school, making good or bad decisions and having the audience grow up with them.
5. Some characters can be unlikable at times such as: Max, Melanie, Veronica, and Kristi.
6. Max isn't in the majority of season 2.
7. In an early episode, Veronica is treated like a brat for complaining when Max adds another rider to her private lesson. But while she loses sympathy for taking it out on the other rider by being nasty to him, she's not wrong to think that if her parents paid a premium for a private lesson, that's what she should get. At the very least, Max should give them a future credit for the cost difference between a private and a semi-private lesson, and even then, he really should have asked her or her parents first rather than just making the change unilaterally.
8. The 2nd actor for Red "James O'Dea" isn't quite as good as "Nathan Phillips", and it wasn't really well received by fans.
9. The second season is a bit dark compared to the first season.

Reception

The first two seasons of The Saddle Club received positive reception from critics and audiences alike. It has a 6.1/10 on IMDb