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Heartland (2007–2021 and ongoing)

2022; University of Illinois Press; Volume: 49; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.5406/21558450.49.1.06

2155-8450

Scott A.G.M. Crawford,

Leadership, Courage, and Heroism Studies

Heartland is set in the province of Alberta, and the location—a cattle ranch—looks out at the spectacular, soaring, snow-covered peaks of the Rockies. The ranch owner and patriarchal centerpiece of the fictional drama—based on a twenty-five-volume series written by Lauren Brooke—is Jack Bartlett, a former all-round rodeo champion. His son-in-law, Tim Fleming, is also a one-time star rodeo performer forced into an early retirement as a result of serious injuries incurred in steer wrestling. Tim Fleming finds himself only able to compete if he takes heavy doses of painkillers. His excessive use of these substances results in him becoming an addict and having to undergo years of counseling, self-help, and group therapy. In midlife he finds new meaning as a rodeo coach.The hero of Heartland is, however, neither Jack Bartlett nor Tim Fleming; the dominating presence is Tim Fleming's daughter, Amy Fleming. She is a superb equestrienne who makes the ranch her home base in the role of “horse whisperer.” She finds, at an early age that she has a remarkable gift for understanding horses and carrying out delicate treatments to save traumatized horses. She employs natural horsemanship techniques to connect and communicate with troubled horses. Again and again, working in a small arena, she steers her horses in repeated and controlled circular parameters. Very gradually, the horses settle down. Amy Fleming is like the conductor of a small orchestra who transforms her long riding whip into a gentle baton that allows the horse to enjoy its space and freedom and to eventually bond with her. Two sources are recommended as commentaries on the nature of this whole process. They are The Horse Whisperer written by Nicholas Evans (1994) and a film of the same name directed by Robert Redford in 1998.What goes on in this singular healing process seems positively magical. A blend of craft, cunning, karma, intuition, and wizardry. Amy Fleming is adept with all manner of sleights of hand. Flower essences are administered as antidotes for anxiety and more traditional treatments such as massage and acupuncture are delivered. The more than 200 episodes of Heartland cover the full spectrum of rodeo from bull riding to steer wrestling, team roping, women's barrel racing, bronco riding, and even chuck wagon racing.Jack Bartlett hires Caleb Odell as a ranch hand. When not working as a Canadian cowboy, Odell tours the rodeo circuit in Western Canada and Montana. His specialty is bull riding. The technical film crew of Heartland designed a riveting sequence shown over several episodes that depicts Odell getting “hung up” on his bull. Riders wrap their controlling hand around the pommel of the saddle. At the end of completing an eight-second ride—mandatory to score points—they release their grip. To get “hung up” means the rider is unable to obtain that release and is essentially jerked and tossed like a firecracker. This is what happens to Caleb Odell and subsequent episodes highlight his challenges with PTSD. After his slow recovery, he joins up with Tim Fleming as an assistant rodeo coach. Bull riding is the heart and soul of rodeo and is a sport where danger is ever present. Lane Frost, the 1987 PRCA Bull Riding World Champion, took part at the Cheyenne Frontier Rodeo. He successfully dismounted after a championship ride, but the bull caught him in the side, breaking his ribs and severing a main artery. As a result of internal bleeding, Frost died on the arena floor.The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association has more than 7,000 cowboys and performers. The rodeos—there are more than 600 held annually with a support/spectator base of as many as 30 million people—have timed events and activities that include calf roping, team roping, steer wrestling, horseback riding (saddle and bareback), bull riding (already noted), and barrel racing. There are also events designed especially for college and high school populations. The scale of rodeos in Canada is significant. In 2003, no less than sixty-five professional rodeos took place in Western Canada—where Heartland was filmed. The Calgary Stampede was founded in 1912 and is the world's largest equine festival. Several of its elements—chuck wagon races, horse units showing marching displays, Royal Canadian Mounted Police in precision formations, First Nations and Indigenous Peoples engaged in sprint horseback races—feature in Heartland episodes. There is a Canadian Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame in Ponoka, Alberta. Heartland shows Jack Bartlett and Tim Fleming receiving accolades for their achievements at regional Hall of Fame dinners. Rodeo, like many North American sports, has a solid link with college athletic programs. The National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association (NIRA) has student athletes at more than 135 colleges and universities. Tim Fleming seriously considers accepting a college rodeo coaching position at a southern college and one of his star performers eventually accepts an athletic scholarship in the United States.A focus of Heartland is the role of rodeo as an empowerment route for young women. In Tim Fleming's rodeo school, there is a competitive teenage rider named Jade who has set her rights on becoming not only a rodeo circuit performer but a bronco rider. As with Caleb Odell, she endures a frightening tumble resulting in concussion and medical interventions. The powerful message, robustly followed through by the Heartland directors, is that women have the character, competitive drive, courage, and conviction to succeed in an athletic culture known for its macho ethos.Susan Nance notes that “cowgirls were among the first American women to gain success in professional sports.”1 In 1906, cowgirl bronco riding was added to the Cheyenne Frontier Days program. The Women's Professional Rodeo Association has had championship events since 1987 in bronco riding, bull riding, and calf roping.While Amy Fleming's horse-whispering genius provides Heartland with repeated stories of good cheer, a very different theme is explored with the riding exploits of Geordie, a young woman adopted by Amy's elder sister, Lou Fleming. Heartland follows Geordie as she progresses from learning to ride, all the way through to her aspiring to be an Olympic show jumper. Her cadre of fellow teenage riders are called Extreme Action. They carry out routines that were part and parcel of activities found in North American horse fairs launched in the nineteenth century by the legendary Buffalo Bill. Geordie, for example, stands on her moving horse and fires arrows at a number of targets.Very quickly, a happy-go-lucky young teenager full of passion for her horse odyssey is plunged into a nightmare world of despair and debilitating health issues. She over-exercises and becomes anorexic. Karl Deisserath writes of a “distant and stern” illness and persons trapped “in a cold tomb of cognitive control.”2Naomi Osaka withdrew from the French Open and in a Time essay observed, “I feel uncomfortable being the spokesperson or face of mental health. . . . I do hope that people can relate and understand it's O.K. to not be O.K. and it's O.K. to talk about it.”3 In the Wall Street Journal, Simone Biles commented, “It sucks when you're fighting with your own head. When you think what everybody is going to think, the internet. . . . You just feel that weight of the world. . . . I wasn't in the right mental space.”4Erica Komisaro, a New York psychoanalyst writing in the Wall Street Journal, expressed her views on cultural emphases spotlighting fame and validation. “Ms. Biles may be a good role model. So may Michael Phelps who has been open about his mental health issues for adolescents and adults. Many young athletes are standing up, saying no to the pressure and exposing the ugly truth behind the obsession with winning and fame.”5The cinematography involved with Geordie's show jumping forays is magnificent. It reminded this reviewer of an eleven-year-old Elizabeth Taylor launching her career as a steeplechase rider in the 1944 film National Velvet. A sequel to National Velvet was the 1978 Metro Goldwyn Mayer/United Artists production of International Velvet starring Tatum O'Neal, which depicts her character attempting to become a member of the British Olympic equestrian team. Her coach was played by the celebrated Welsh actor Anthony Hopkins, who portrayed the coach as having a bullying manner and a manipulative personality—very much like the coach who plunged Geordie into torment and grief.Heartland is a treasure trove of many diverse, equine components. The issue of doping and horse racing receives scrutiny. The topicality of such an issue is highlighted by the fact that in May 2021 American's most prestigious horse race, the Kentucky Derby, saw the winner, Medina Spirit, fail a drug test.While Heartland delivers a number of lessons on the necessity of getting back on a horse after a fall, the series strikes high notes with stories about healing. Wounded and crippled soldiers from the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan are introduced to therapeutic riding, and a powerful message emerges during scenes portraying their improved coping skills and the decline of difficulties with emotional regulation. Several Heartland episodes dramatically highlight how horses can provide wounded warriors with new bonds and a permanent life raft. The goal is an amelioration of PTSD.Heartland also addresses a canvas of issues to do with the great outdoors and conservation topics. What does one do with wild mustangs? Who feeds them during a harsh winter? What is the role of culling?The series also reveals some of the singular offshoots of the world of rodeo. At the Olympics, success is measured by gold, silver, and bronze medals. In the NFL and NBA, champions earn rings. In rodeo, the ultimate status symbol is the belt buckle and, if an all-round champion, a gorgeously embossed exhibition saddle.David M. Shribman, a professor at the Max Bell School of Public Policy, writing in the Wall Street Journal, commented, “No full understanding of Canada is complete without an examination of the country's open spaces.”6Heartland with its cascade of lovingly photographed horses makes for a satisfying and engaging television drama. That being said, the directors and writer, Lauren Brooke, establish a narrative flow that combines purpose and gravitas. The result is a tableau that is reflective, introspective, and compelling viewing.