The word “real” is stretched a little bit this week when referring to “The Saddle Club” but to its fans, The Saddle Club is as real as any horse alive. Stevie, Carol and Lisa have become friends to many in their nearly 25 years.
The original Saddle Club was a series of novels written by Bonnie Bryant in 1986. Bonnie was a horse lover that had spent little time with horses aside from her time at summer camp in upstate New York. The books vary a bit from the television show that most people are more familiar with in a few ways, the main being set in Willow Creek Virginia. The other main difference is the coat colors of the horses. Starlight was originally a dark bay with a star and Belle was also a bay. They are portrayed a bit differently in the show. The book series saw 101 novels and countless other spin-offs.
The Saddle Club television show began airing in 2001 and after a hiatus of 5 years, returned in 2008 with a new cast and show! There have now been over 70 episodes shot and its still going strong. The television show is shot in Victoria Australia and features actors and actresses from Australia, although it does air all over the world. In the television show Stevie’s horse Belle is a chestnut and Carol’s horse Starlight is a bright buckskin. These are the two main difference in the show and the books. The show has also seen the begining of a successful music line performed by The Saddle Club girls! They even performed at Breyerfest!
Some collectors will remember that Breyer created a The Saddle Club line of horses in the mid 1990’s, that was unfortunately discontinued by 1998, but in the past couple years we’ve seen the line return with new horses! The line features traditional horses featuring Prancer, Belle and Starlight, a classics line that also features horses with accessories, a plush line and stablemates! You can take a look at the entire line on GoldenOakStables.com which features tons of Saddle Club horses, dolls and accessories.
The Saddle Club may have started as a book series that horse lovers from a generation past fell in love with but with both a television show and a new Breyer line, there are many young girls that are finding the series over 20 years later! I’m sure we’ll be seeing more of The Saddle Club for many years to come!
~Stacy
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