Heartland | Season 16 | CBC Gem (2023)

When Amy discovers that a horse named Spartan is being abused, she convinces her mother to rescue the horse and bring him back to Heartland. On the way home a raging storm sends their truck and horse trailer careening off the side of the road, killing her mother. Grandpa Jack helps Amy find the strength to stop blaming herself and begin the process of healing Spartan, and healing her own heart.

Mrs. Roach's horse, Swallow, is mistakenly sent home before his fear of traffic is fully cured. Ashley is violently thrown off Swallow when he's spooked by a truck and Mrs. Roach swears she'll never bring her business back to Heartland. And when Spartan refuses to enter his trailer, Amy begins to have serious doubts about her ability to carry on her mother's work.

Lou wants to hold an open house for Heartland. Amy is against it, since she's managed to drum up some high profile clients on her own. Clients like Lisa Stillman, a well-known horse breeder who entrusts Amy with Promise, a valuable horse who refuses to be saddled. But there's no way Lou can cancel, especially since she's secretly invited their father, Tim, to see Amy for the first time in ten years.

Horse breeder Lisa Stillman is so impressed with Amy's work, she sends her nephew, Ben, to live at Heartland. Amy and Mallory can't believe the way he treats his horse, Red. After Red runs away from Heartland, the girls go searching for him. They find the horse near the edge of a river, but when Amy tries to lead Red across, his fear of water sends him into a panic, knocking Amy unconscious.

Lou charges ahead with the video to advertise Heartland, despite the fact nobody is supportive of the idea. After Lou's "big city" director drops out and shooting begins, it's clear the real director is Lou. But her take-charge attitude drives everyone over the edge. The last straw is when Lou insists they shoot Amy gentling a wild pony. The camera spooks the horse and Lou is nearly trampled to death.

When Lou's boyfriend arrives at Heartland the question on everyone's mind is, how long is he staying? Carl has been offered a lucrative position at a firm in Chicago and he's come to Heartland to convince Lou to go with him. Everything seems to fall into place when Lou is offered a job at the same Chicago firm. Meanwhile, Amy and Mallory have discovered Scott is secretly in love with Lou and it turns out all is not right with Lou's job offer.

Lou has no intention of playing mid-wife to the pregnant mare, Melody, but Grandpa Jack insists she stay. With Ben away at a jumping show and Jack and Ty at a cattle round-up, Melody goes into labour. Lou calls in an eccentric old neighbour who uses traditional remedies to heal horses to help with the delivery.

A famous race horse is sent to Heartland to see if it can be rehabilitated. Gallant Prince has been terribly burned and injured in a highly-publicized stable fire. Its physical scars have healed, but the mental ones remain. Lou makes the mistake of talking to a reporter and soon all eyes are on Amy and her "gift."

The Flemings' eccentric neighbour, Mrs. Bell, is hospitalized and Amy brings her traumatized Shetland pony, Sugarfoot, to Heartland. Lou used to ride Sugarfoot when she was a child and to everyone's surprise, the pony seems to remember her. When Amy's attempts to heal Sugarfoot fail, it's Lou who succeeds in bonding with the heart-broken pony.

Jack gets a troubling glimpse into Ty's violent past. When Jack takes him to help with a mustang round-up, Ty loses his temper and punches a wrangler for mistreating a horse. Meanwhile, Mallory goes missing from Heartland and it's Tim Fleming who finds the little girl and returns her, finally bringing him face to face with Amy.

Lou hopes to impress Tim with her managerial skills, but is heartbroken when she realizes that Amy and Tim share a deeper bond, their love of horses. And in an ominous turn of events, the wrangler from the mustang round-up, who has been fired for mistreating horses, comes to Heartland looking for revenge.

When one of the barns erupts into flames Jack is badly injured getting the horses to safety. Mallory is devastated and Lou and Amy are drawn together, terrified that they might lose their grandfather. When it starts to look like arson was the cause of the fire, Ty and Scott join forces with Tim Fleming to find the likely suspect and Jack finally offers Tim the olive branch of friendship.

Amy is busy training Spartan for an upcoming jumping competition. Ben convinces Ashley that Heartland is the only place that can help her suddenly recalcitrant horse. Amy hates the situation, but money is still an issue and Ashley's mom, Val, is offering a very generous sum in return for Amy's guidance. Ashley still tries to sabotage Amy's chances at the competition but Amy and Spartan persevere.