The Saddle Club Episode 1.07: School Horse

Do my eyes deceive me? Does this episode begin with Max ... actually teaching a lesson? Is that man … supervising the minors in his care? Say it ain’t so! Max is actually giving Ashley a lesson on Dime when the Saddle Club come over leading Prancer. Stevie’s complaining about how her doctor is forcing her to give up junk food, including her beloved jelly beans. Lisa offers to stop biting her nails, because she thinks it’ll be fun to give up their bad habits together. I think this is a pretty nice gesture, but Stevie snarks, ‘You have a warped definition of fun.’ Max tells them that Prancer’s been acting up lately, and she better behave. Prancer starts to freak out while Carole lunges her, manages to escape, and runs straight for Ashley and Dime. Max manages to catch Prancer and steady her, and announces that this is the final straw — he’s putting Prancer up for sale. 

The girls come up with a plan to train Prancer to be a good school horse. Stevie and Carole immediately start bickering like how to approach Prancer’s training. Lisa tells them not to argue in front of Prancer because it’ll make her nervous. Max puts up an ad on the noticeboards about Prancer being for sale. (Notably, the poster says that Prancer has an ‘excellent temperament,’ which is absolutely false advertising. The whole reason Max wants to sell her in the first place is because she’s been behaving terribly!)

Stevie, who still hasn’t kicked her jelly bean habit, lets Prancer have some, too. Carole points out that giving an already-hyper horse sugar is a bad idea, Stevie's mature reply is, ‘You’re the problem!’ I have to say, I’m 100% on Team Carole here. Carole and Stevie continue fighting like an old Catholic couple who refuse to get divorced. Lisa sneaks a couple of Stevie’s jelly beans, and realises they’re pretty good.

At the stables, Starlight is feeling left out because Carole’s been spending all her time focusing on Prancer. (Yes, this is an actual plot point.) Red notices and makes a fuss over him, which I admit is rather sweet. 

Carole and Stevie continue fighting about training Prancer. Stevie’s coming across as really crabby in this episode — are we supposed to infer that it’s because she’s going through junk food withdrawals? Carole says that Prancer won’t even listen anymore because Stevie got her hooked on jelly beans — this line is delivered with the same level of anger and seriousness as if Stevie got Prancer hooked on methamphetamine. While Carole and Stevie continue bickering, Lisa hops on Prancer and begins riding her. Max arrives in time to see Lisa riding a calm, happy Prancer, but Stevie pulls out her jelly beans. The framing of this scene involves both a dramatic close-up of Stevie’s hand and menacing 'danger is imminent' music, which is the funniest part of the episode. Prancer freaks out, bolts, charges at Max, Stevie, and Carole, and jumps the fence. (A rare moment of clarity seems to cause Max to realise that he is responsible for these children, and he does actually pull Stevie and Carole away from the fence before Prancer jumps.) 

Prancer immediately tries to steal Stevie’s jelly beans, and Max says that somebody is going to inevitably get hurt, and that he doesn’t want the girls riding Prancer anymore. Who IS this man?  Since WHEN does Max try to prevent accidents from occurring at Pine Hollow? Max then shares that he’s had an offer on Prancer, and he’s accepting it. 

Carole doesn’t want Starlight to have to say goodbye to Prancer, so she takes him out of the paddock and puts him in his stall. The girls head back outside to Starlight and Prancer’s paddock. Stevie continues to be mean and crabby, Carole blames her for getting Prancer addicted to jelly beans, and Stevie blames Lisa for forcing her to give them up. Prancer starts dramatically whinnying and galloping around the paddock, then jumps a fence AGAIN. The girls chase after her. 

Out in the forest, the girls are searching for Prancer. Lisa spots fresh hoof prints. Carole points out that they’re close to where the old Willow Creek Mine used to be, and that horses aren’t allowed on these trails. The logical conclusion is that the hoof prints belong to Prancer, but Stevie, who is still going through withdrawals, says that it doesn't mean it was Prancer. Stevie and Carole continue arguing, and after Carole and Lisa walk on ahead, Stevie leaves a trail of jelly beans on the ground. The girls continue walking through the forest, missing the 'DANGER: ABANDONED MINE SHAFTS' that the camera pans over, conveniently providing some foreshadowing for the viewers at home. The girls follow the hoof prints until they suddenly end, and Lisa optimistically suggests that Prancer could've doubled back to go home. Carole says that wouldn't have happened, because Prancer knows Max is going to sell her. Sure, okay. Stevie and Carole continue arguing, and as they’re fighting, the ground beneath them gives way and the three of them fall into an abandoned mine shaft. Since they can’t climb their way out, they decide to try and find an exit by walking through the tunnels. 

At Pine Hollow, Red realises that Prancer’s missing, and tells Max. As they’re tacking up Delilah, Mrs. Reg arrives and is the first to connect the dots about Prancer going missing, along with the Saddle Club. She points out that it wouldn’t be the first time they’ve kidnapped Prancer, and reminds them of how the girls hid her out in the old barn. Max goes to check the barn, and Mrs. Reg begins ringing their parents. 

Lisa finds a way out of the tunnels, but the exit is blocked by a snake. 

Ashley blames herself for Prancer being sold, but Mrs. Reg reassures her says that it wasn’t her fault. Max returns from his search on Delilah. Ashley worries about Prancer, but Max says that he’s sure, wherever she is, the girls are looking after her. 

Carole, Lisa, and Stevie still have the snake blocking their path. Carole offers to distract the snake while Stevie and Lisa run for help. She tries to distract it by hissing at it and shining her flashlight, but while Stevie and Lisa are trying to inch away, the snake lashes out and bites Lisa. The drama!

Ms. Chambers, the woman interested in Prancer, arrives at the stables, and Ashley tells her a bunch of lies about Prancer's temperament so she won’t end up wanting her. Max figures out what’s happening and corrects the record, but then Ms. Chambers reveals that she’s a secret jerk who doesn’t truly care about horses, and thinks they’re just for buying and selling.

Carole and Stevie try to treat Lisa’s snakebite, but they need to get her back to Pine Hollow ASAP because there’s anti-venom there. Now, how often are children getting bitten by snakes that Pine Hollow just happens to already have anti-venom in stock? I'm playing my Australian card here, that's just not a thing we keep in our medicine cabinets! Panadol and band-aids, sure, but not anti-venom! The girls have no way of getting past the snake — until Prancer arrives to save the day. Prancer rears and steps on the rubber stunt snake, killing it, and enabling the girls to safely get back to the stables. 

Lisa is resting in the lounge instead of, you know, GOING TO HOSPITAL, and Stevie and Carole make up and agree to never fight again. Max comes in and says that Prancer will never make a laidback school horse, but that he thinks she’ll be a great jumper for his advanced students. So Prancer gets to stay at Pine Hollow! Yay! The girls ask about the buyer, and Max says he can’t sell the hero horse who saved the Saddle Club. (I assume, off-screen, Max also told her to get fucked.) 

Max then steals a biscuit from Stevie, and she and Carole start beating him up. It’s actually really adorable. Gosh, that man is good with kids ...

Times a Child Almost Died While in Pine Hollow’s Care: Four times. Three counts of a child falling into a mine shaft and one count of a child getting bitten by a venomous snake.