If you love CBC’s Heartland, equestrian or not, you’re in good company. Canadian family drama series Heartland is famous for its themes of family and loyalty, not to mention its gorgeous equine family members. Heartland has been running for so long that you’d be forgiven for not knowing what season it’s up to. So, how many seasons are in Heartland the TV show?
There are fifteen seasons in the Heartland series, and season fifteen is being broadcast at the time of writing. In this post, we’re going to do a brief recap of previous seasons for those who’ve fallen a bit behind and want to revisit Heartland. You’ll be up to date in no time! Let’s kick off with a quick recap of the history of Heartland.
Warning: **spoilers ahead!**
A Little Bit About Heartland the TV Show
The idea for Heartland came from the book series of the same name by Lauren Brooke. It first aired in 2007 and has been running ever since — pretty impressive!
The fictional town where Heartland Ranch and its inhabitants reside is called “Hudson Town”. Alberta, Canada was chosen as the filming location, or more specifically, the town of High River and its surrounding areas. High River has a rich culture and history. Check out our article on High River to find out some fun facts!
Heartland follows the lives of a family that works with horses. Protagonist Amy Fleming turned her lifelong love of horses into her career, helping and rescuing an uncountable number of horses in her job as a trainer. Amy believes natural horsemanship is the best way to train and tame horses.
Where It All Started: Season 1 Recap
In season 1, fans are, of course, introduced to the characters they will grow to know and love over the years. We meet Amy and her sister, Lou Fleming and their grandfather and head of the ranch, Jack Bartlett. Amy and Lou have a troubled history — their mother is dead and their father, Tim, walked away from them when they were little.
We quickly learn that Grandpa Jack is the one who has supported the girls as they were growing. We are also introduced to Ty Borden, Amy’s future husband. Some of the big events of the debut season include:
- Tim Fleming’s return to Lou and Amy’s lives, which causes the girls’ relationship to become strained at times.
- Amy’s work with horses with various issues, including a horse who has been badly burnt in a fire and a depressed horse. We also meet Amy’s horse, Spartan, whom she and her mother had rescued before her mother’s death.
- The early development of Amy and Ty’s relationship.
Season 2 Recap
In season 2, Amy’s plummeting grades force her to balance her school work and her ranch work. She must also recover her stolen horse, Spartan and the Hudson community must stick together to prevent an oil company from taking their land. Ty returns after going missing at the end of season 1.
Season 3 Recap
Amy continues her work with horses, helping a traumatized girl and her horse and taking care of an orphaned foal. A horse virus breaks out, forcing everyone into quarantine and Ty gets a place at veterinary school. Ty goes missing again when the plane he’s traveling on disappears and Amy, Peter, Lou, Tim and Jack try desperately to find him.
Season 4 Recap
This season homes in on Lou dealing with missing home after her move to Dubai. Amy and Ty’s relationship is up and down, and the pair go through some turbulent times. Several characters have to face up to past challenges including patriarch Jack.
Season 5 Recap
Season 5 begins with Amy’s decision to work with a professional equestrian to take her own horsemanship skills to the next level. We learn more about Tim’s past — there’s a secret that his daughters don’t know. His fragile relationship with the girls is put in jeopardy by this secret.
Season 6 Recap
New character Georgie bursts onto the scene in season 6. Having spent most of her life in foster care, Lou and Peter made the decision to adopt her. As a result, she’s not easy to rein in and gets up to plenty of mischief at the ranch. As always, Amy is kept busy with plenty of equally troubled horses and riders. Jack is in a worrying position by the end of the season.
Season 7 Recap
Season 7 sees Amy in a dangerous situation and the family must support her as best as they can. She develops a fear of horses, something she has never experienced before. Amy must work to overcome this if she is to continue with her passion for helping horses.
Season 8 Recap
Having spent some time away in Europe, Amy returns to Heartland Ranch and finds it difficult to readjust. The situation isn’t helped by unwelcome gifts from an admirer. This leads to discord with Ty, and fans are left wondering if the two will be able to rebuild trust in each other.
Season 9 Recap
Amy and Ty start married life together and Georgie and Amy’s bond becomes even stronger. Georgie regularly accompanies Amy in her work with the horses and on rescue missions. Jack’s horse, Paint, who suffers with arthritis, continues to decline, leaving Jack with a tough decision to make. The season ends with a surprise for Amy and Ty.
Season 10 Recap
This is a season chock full of drama and scares. Vet Ty is offered the chance to go to Mongolia to help with a Gobi bear rescue mission. The catch is that Amy is pregnant. She supports Ty’s decision, but a whole lot of danger awaits and the main characters are truly put through the ringer in season 10. A beautiful mustang named “Ghost” makes his return in this season.
Season 11 Recap
Ty isn’t best pleased when his mother turns up to see baby Lyndy. Though their relationship has significantly improved since earlier seasons, Ty is uncomfortable with his mother’s “butting in”, wanting to do everything for the baby himself. He later returns to Mongolia, leaving Amy with Lyndy and again putting himself in danger.
Season 12 Recap
Amy and Ty continue with their work, rescuing injured horses from the wild. The young couple’s career success is shown to come at a price as they battle to balance work and family life. Jack and the family find out some devastating news in episode 10 and we must say goodbye to a popular character.
Season 13 Recap
Season 13 was a season of change and growth for Georgie. She graduates from High School and gets an unexpected visitor. Amy and Ty deal with issues surrounding their foster son Luke’s past. The pair are put in great danger in the final episode, leaving fans wondering if they’re both going to make it.
Season 14 Recap
Warning: season 14 is probably the most heartbreaking Heartland season to date. Ty’s sudden death in the first episode leaves the family devastated and fans reeling. We see Amy struggle to come to terms with a life without her soulmate, and the first few episodes in particular don’t hold back in dealing out plenty of emotional blows.
Elsewhere, Lou, the recently elected mayor of Hudson is up against criticism. She also battles to balance her work duties with supporting her family through their dreadful loss. In true Heartland fashion, however, Amy eventually gets back in the saddle, her innate drive to help troubled horses ever-present.
How Many Seasons are in Heartland the TV Show?: Sum-Up
- There are fifteen seasons in Canadian family series Heartland. Each season brings new challenges to the characters in and around Heartland Ranch.
- The Heartland TV series is based on the book series of the same name by Lauren Brooke.
- Heartland debuted in 2007 and has been running ever since. Season 15 is currently airing at the time of writing.
- Main characters of Heartland are Amy Fleming, Ty Borden, Lou Fleming, Jack Bartlett, Georgie Fleming-Morris and Tim Fleming. That said, the equine stars are what we’re all here for! “Spartan”, “Paint”, “Harley” and “Phoenix” are but a handful of the horse characters in Heartland.
How Many Seasons are in Heartland the TV Show?: Final Thoughts
Each season of Heartland comes with new characters and new obstacles for characters, human and equine, to overcome. The horses are at the core of everything the Heartland characters do, and it is this passion that so endears horse lovers to the inhabitants of Heartland season after season.
While characters come and go, including popular characters we thought the show couldn’t continue without, the horses are the one constant. Also unceasing is the family’s fierce commitment to each other, come what may. This reminds us that Heartland is truly aptly named.
You can catch seasons of Heartland on CBC Gem, Amazon Prime Video or Netflix, so you’re a bit spoiled for choice. Check out our article on how many seasons of Heartland are on Netflix for more!
