Heartland’s Amber Marshall Talks Horses, Babies, and Life on Her Real Ranch

Amber Marshall, who plays Amy Fleming on Heartland, doesn’t just pretend to love animals for the show — she lives it every day. Off-screen, she and her husband, Shawn Turner, have a ranch outside Calgary where they care for all kinds of animals. They have dogs, cats, pigs, chickens, turkeys, cows, a peacock, an alpaca, and of course, lots of horses.

For Amber, horses aren’t just something she does for work — they’re a huge part of who she is. “Whenever it’s a sunny, nice day, I usually just stay home and ride my horse,” she said. “My heart still falls for the horses over the hogs.” That love for horses makes her performance as Amy feel even more real.

Because Amber’s life is so similar to her character’s, her acting feels natural and honest. The scenes at the ranch on Heartland don’t feel like acting — they feel like Amber just being herself. That’s part of why fans love watching her as Amy.

Filming with Babies Brings New Challenges

This season brought something new for Amber: working with babies. At the end of season 10, Amy and Ty (played by Graham Wardle) welcomed their baby girl, Lyndy. Now, in season 11, Amy is figuring out how to balance being a mom and working with horses.

Filming with a baby is very different from filming with animals.

“For me, the last decade was about filming with animals, but kids are highly unpredictable, so there’s a freshness to it,” Amber said. “It’s very raw and very real.”

Sometimes she even had to try to hide Lyndy’s smiles when the script called for tears — something any parent can relate to.

Why Heartland Has Stayed Strong

Heartland is now in its 11th season and is the longest-running one-hour drama in Canadian TV with the same cast. The show has millions of fans around the world, and it’s easy to see why.

Amber thinks the main reason the cast has stayed together so long is that everyone gets along.

“There’s no ego on set. We’re a pretty easygoing group. No one lets the show or fame go to their head.”

She also says filming in the beautiful Alberta foothills helps keep things peaceful.

“We’re out in the wilderness and you can just take a walk and take a breather with nature,” she explained. “When you’re stuck in close quarters all the time, you’re not always going to get along.”

Fans love the show so much that they come from all over the world to meet Amber and the cast.

“It’s unbelievable,” she shared. “I’ll meet people from Germany, Australia, or Texas.”

And fans are excited to see Amy and Ty as parents.

“I think the audience is going to really enjoy seeing Amy and Ty as parents,” Amber said.

Does Amber Want Kids of Her Own?

Amber has said she’d love to have kids someday.

“I would love to have children,” she admitted. “Right now I have a very busy life. But my fans are hungry for me to have kids.”

With her kind personality, love for animals, and down-to-earth attitude, it’s clear she’d make a great mom both on and off the screen.