I always forget how long Georgie has actually been part of Heartland until I really think about it. Wait, season six?! That is wild to me. In my head she is still the new kid even though we have literally watched her grow up on our screens in real time.
What I love most is that Alisha Newton is exactly what you would want her to be. She isn’t some celebrity pretending to like horses for a role. She has actual horse girl energy. She talks about schooling heights and which horses on set are the spicy ones. It feels so real.
Her start with riding was so normal too. Her grandma had a horse and she would go to the barn when she visited. She started western as a kid and then switched to English around age ten and just fell for it. Once that horse bug grabs you, it doesn’t let go.
Then there is her horse Aflame. She bought her Dutch Warmblood in 2015 and she seems so obsessed with him. She calls him her Steady Eddy. He is calm and safe enough for little kids to ride, which is basically the dream horse.
She was really honest about how hard it is to balance the show with her own riding. When they are filming Heartland from May to December, she only gets to ride maybe three days a week. There are even insurance rules about her showing. It makes me respect her more because she is clearly working so hard with the time she actually has.
She also explained how they handle the horses on the show. Phoenix isn’t just one horse. They use different ones for jumping or trail riding. Her favorite is a horse named Conamore who plays the Phoenix jumper. She called him a little firecracker and a spicy boy. Every horse person knows exactly what she means by that.
Her favorite scene to film was that moment at the end of season eight with Trouble in the field. She loved the liberty work and how emotional it was. It is those scenes that make Heartland so special.
She has big goals too. She loves show jumping but really wants to get into eventing and cross country. I would love to see Georgie doing more of that on the show. Imagine Georgie at a cross-country derby!
She ended her recent chat with a huge thank you to the fans. She wants the show to go another ten years and honestly? Same. I will be right here watching.
