You're telling me that this Rein is Free?
For the love of horses everywhere—not just Raven.
If you don’t want mild spoilers about hit TV show Free Rein, then this may not be for you. But, never fear, this isn’t all about horses and associated horse TV shows.
Before I left Vancouver for Hamilton, my friend Noa sat me down with the promise of a silly TV show. Sat before our DoorDash feast1, she turned on Netflix and brought up Free Rein, season one.
It didn’t take us that long to get through the whole thing.
For that time immediately PFR (Post Free Rein), it was all we could talk about—much to the disappointment of our friends Allison and Devon.
For those who have not seen Free Rein, I will give the smallest amount of context:
Free Rein follows Zoe, her mother (Maggie), and her sister (Rosie) who move from the US to England to live with Zoe’s grandfather, Frank. Frank’s house is near Bright Fields stables, where we meet the majority of our cast. Zoe meets a troubled horse (Raven) and does the horse-girl trope of “it’s me; calm down; it’s ok” and they (you guessed it) immediately form a soul bond. Raven, however, (shock and horror) is owned by the stable’s generic mean girl, Mia. Zoe befriends Becky and Jade (forming Pony Squad) and takes lessons to learn how to ride a horse. A love triangle ensues (between Zoe, “good” Marcus, and “mysterious” Pin); rivalries form (Pony Squad v. Mia and Susie, Bright Fields v. Holloway, etc.); friendships and bonds are born, broken, and tested; and there’s a ghost pony. Typical tween horse media.
Moving to Hamilton, I was blessed with living with my lovely roommates.2 Looking back, I’m not sure how it came up, but one day I ended up suggesting to Amarah that we watch Free Rein. Early on in a new friendship is a risky time to suggest “hey, let’s watch some children’s horse media,” but something about Amarah felt safe and familiar. Enter: our Free Rein era.
Like with Noa, three seasons and two holiday specials goes by fast.
On the very couch that this blog is named for, we entered Bright Fields and were immersed. And, please believe me, it’s not really about the horses. Sure, there are horse-centric plot lines, but there’s also thieves, pirate lore, secret Dukes, romances, betrayals, and so much more. To this day, we still have our favourite quotes, such as:
“Truth or dare, Zoe—how do you really feel about me!”3
“You kissed my girlfriend!” “And you betrayed me to Holloway.”4
Much to my dismay, it’s time to move away from the show itself. After all, that’s the least important part of what Free Rein actually is to me.
When I came to Hamilton for school, I was leaving the city where the majority of my friends and family were to live somewhere where I knew almost no one—save for those I had met on Zoom or during early “Vancouver Artsci” meet-ups. Starting fresh is scary. Maybe it was comforting, seeing how Zoe could move across the world and find new interests and, importantly, new people. I’m not saying I owe my as-of-university friendships and connection with Amarah to Free Rein, but I will say it was one of the first things we collectively obsessed over. Now, there’s a very long list.
It’s odd how I will now always have these fond memories associated with this tween horse show. It’s not about Pony Squad, it’s about how Noa and I would pester Devon and Allison with endless references. It’s not about whether Zoe dates Pin or Marcus, it’s about how Amarah and I spend endless nights up watching entire seasons. It’s not about Raven or Bob or Firefly or any horse, it’s about how we invited friends over and forced them to watch Free Rein: Valentine’s Day on Valentine’s Day with us (now, watching it is an annual tradition).
Do I think everyone should watch Free Rein? No.5 But, there’s something to be said about the memories associated with the silliest of things. As fourth year ends, I’m moving away again. Closer to family and childhood/teen-hood friends, but still somewhere new and different. No matter how well I know a city, living there as an ADULT is new and fresh; there’s something slightly scary about it. But, I’ll always have Free Rein—meaning: my family and friends, and the knowledge that, no matter where I am, it’ll end up ok.
Who knows, maybe I was always destined to have a love for horse-related media. I did grow up with the influence of my delightful sister, Ramsey, who was a competitive equestrian for a while. If you want to blame someone for my affinity for horse-related-media, look no further than her.
Am I a horse girl? Debatable. I don’t know all the horse colours and horse types, but horses are sprinkled throughout memorable times and influential people in my life. And I have been injured by horses three memorable times, but that’s a story for another time.
Knowing Noa’s allergies and our food-ordering-habits, probably some variation of “obscene amounts of grilled meat.”
Shoutout to Amarah, Bohmee, Saumyaa, Avery, Navya, and Ekta!
Season 2, Episode 4: “Truth or Dare”
Season 2, Episode 5: “Sweet 16”
If you do, though, it’s important to watch in chronological order: season 1, season 2, Christmas special, Valentine’s special, season 3. However, if you want it in order of good-ness, it’s: Valentine’s special, season 2, season 3, season 1, Christmas special. If you’re just looking for the three best episodes (in our humble opinion), then look no further than season 2, episodes 3–5: “Maid of the Island,” “Truth or Dare,” and “Sweet 16.”
also neigh
i love you so much