Heartland made her learn to ride; fans made sure she never forgot Ashley Stanton

Cindy Busby hasn’t been on Heartland for a while, but Ashley Stanton still follows her around—in airports, on new sets, and in the comments every time a clip resurfaces. That’s the funny thing about long-running shows: you leave, the character stays with people.

Before Heartland, Busby wasn’t a rider. The role didn’t require it, but she signed up for lessons the minute the series was picked up. In Calgary, the wranglers kept the cast on track and the horses settled; on her own time, she kept practicing. Not to flex—just so Ashley would look like she belonged around horses. Anyone who’s stood next to a big gelding knows the feeling: they’re beautiful and a little intimidating. Getting comfortable matters.

Streaming gave the show a second (and third) wind. Which is probably why, during one rough layover in Dallas after a canceled flight, a woman walked up and asked if she was Cindy Busby. They took a quick photo. The frustration eased. Sometimes the timing is that simple.

Sets feel different around animals. With horses there’s a quieter rhythm; the crew respects it. Every horse has a personality, and the wranglers know how to work with that—tiny cues, patient repetition, never forcing it. Watching that up close is its own lesson in attention.

Ask anyone behind the scenes and they’ll smile about the Ashley & Caleb trailer. The pretty patch of land where it sat had a nickname: “the Vortex.” If the forecast looked fine, you could bet on rain. If it looked bad, here came the hail. Lightning, wind, snow—you name it, they shot through it. Eventually production built a trailer interior on stage so nobody had to dodge a storm to finish a scene.

Ashley wore the “mean girl” label early on. Busby doesn’t shrug that off, but she points to what’s underneath—a world where money, status, and control were normal, and where covering hurt with sharp edges was easier than being honest. Off camera, she’s warm and quick to laugh, which is why castmates would crack up the second someone yelled cut. The whiplash from icy to easy became an in-house joke. Over time, fans saw the shift too. Ashley grows up on screen.

Ask about favorite part of Heartland and the answer lands where you’d expect: the people. Crews that show up early, do the work right, and still keep it light—those are hard to leave behind. Many of those friendships stuck.

There was also a two-episode run on Supernatural. On a show that efficient, everything feels dialed-in. Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles are known for setting a relaxed tone, and it shows. She didn’t get pranked—apparently that’s its own rite of passage—but the welcome was real.

These days, Busby calls herself a city person who loves the country. She’s not riding regularly, but that door isn’t closed. Projects are in motion; some she can’t talk about yet. If you want updates, her socials are the quickest way to catch what’s next.

Big picture: the role that introduced her to horses also introduced her to a character fans still ask about years later. That’s not just nostalgia—it’s connection. And for Busby, that’s the part worth keeping.