Amber Marshall: The Real Cowgirl Behind Heartland's Amy Fleming

This Week on In Stride  Sinead Halpin-Maynard sits down with Amber Marshall to explore the surprising parallels between horsemanship and acting, and what it looks like when a teenage English rider finds her true home in Alberta's cowboy culture.Meet the Guest: Amber Marshall  Amber Marshall is best known for her role as Amy Fleming in Heartland, CBC's beloved drama and Canada's longest-running one-hour scripted drama, now in its 19th season. Born and raised in London, Ontario, Amber began riding at age five and started pursuing acting in theatre at eight. As a teenager, she moved to Alberta to film the pilot of Heartland and never looked back. Today, she lives on a hobby farm outside of Calgary with her husband. She is a passionate advocate for animal welfare, with a focus on fostering and spay/neuter initiatives.In This Episode, Sinead and Amber Discuss:How growing up as an English rider and transitioning into Western and cowboy culture shaped both her identity and her character of Amy Fleming over 19 seasonsThe unexpected overlap between acting and horsemanship and why the subtle body language you learn with horses translates directly to compelling performance on screenThe behind-the-scenes reality of working with horses on a TV set, from casting and sourcing animals to the concept of "actor action" (creating the illusion of training without actually training)What working ranch horses taught her about partnership, trust, and the true meaning of a horse with a jobEpisode SponsorConnaway & Associates The friendly and knowledgeable team at Connaway & Associates brings together more than 30 years of experience to offer a wide range of insurance services, including horse insurance, farm insurance, and liability insurance. Visit www.connaway.net or call 501-868-8084 to explore your options.In Stride Is Brought to You by Ride iQRide iQ helps everyday riders ride with more clarity, confidence, and purpose through on-demand audio lessons from world-class coaches.Members also get:Weekly live Q&As with equestrian expertsExclusive podcast episodesDressage test prep resourcesA supportive learning communityStart your free 14-day trial at Ride-iQ.com