List of The Saddle Club Characters - Main Characters

Main Characters

• Carole Hanson is a bright African American girl with a natural riding ability. Devastated when her mother died of cancer and when Cobalt died she almost gave up riding. But her father, U.S. Marine Colonel Mitch Hanson, reminded Carole that her mother would have wanted her to follow her passion. With money left by her mother, she bought the stunning buckskin gelding, Starlight. Carole knows her future lies with horses, but there are many exciting paths to follow and she doesn’t know which road to take. Her grades are high enough for her to become a veterinarian but she would also love to breed and train thoroughbreds. She wouldn’t mind being a professional steeplechase jockey, or maybe travelling the world teaching dressage clinics. Whatever career she chooses, her most immediate goal is to be the very best rider she can be. Carole has little time for boys. She's never understood why anyone would prefer the company of a boy to that of a horse. Warm and funny, Carole is always willing to help others as long as she still has time to go for a ride along nearby Fox Tail Creek. It's when the morning sun sparkles through the trees and the water laps at Starlight's galloping hooves, that Carole feels most alive. This is when the pressures of family, friends, school and competition can't touch her. Anyone who catches a glimpse of horse and rider moving as one along the lush creek can't help but be in awe. Like the other Saddle Club girls, Carole is becoming a young woman. In "Moving On Part 1" Carole's dad got redeployed and she almost left Pine Hollow, The Saddle Club, and Starlight behind forever when it was decided that she'd live with her Aunt Penny. Thanks to Mrs. Reg Carole is the first live in boarder at Pine Hollow Stables as of "Moving On Part 2" which allowed her to stay at Pine Hollow, continue to be in The Saddle Club, and keep Starlight. Carole will never forgive Veronica for killing Cobalt. In "Itchy" Carole thought that she was allergic to horses, but after a visit to the doctor it's revealed that she's allergic to Camels and the saddle blanket that Colonel Hanson sent her is made out of camel hair. When Carole suggests naming Samson after "Samson and Delilah" it's an indication that Carole is a Christian. Whenever Carole's sad to cheer herself up she'll ride Starlight or play her guitar. Carole is focused, determined, stubborn, and passionate just like her mom. In the books Carole and Lisa go to Willow Creek Junior High School together and Carole and Stevie are the same age. Carole's favorite color is Purple.

• Stevie Lake dropped her given name, Stephanie, and has always been a bit tomboyish. Now being uncomfortable with the activities other girls of her age do, but at the same time getting tired of being "one of the boys," one thing remains: her love of horses. Stevie is the unsinkable unstoppable clown and prankster of The Saddle Club. Stevie practices practical jokes so much because her three brothers have driven her more sensitive side underground. She does not think things through and will embark on some impetuous, hare-brained scheme, sucking Carole and Lisa into it on the way through, and when everything gets out of hand, it is her two friends who have to bail everybody out of the mess. But Stevie is irrepressible and unflappable and moves straight onto the next scheme/caper, leaving Carole and Lisa preparing for the worst again. Mind you, they don’t mind her pranks too much if Veronica is the target, as she often is. Stevie's parents, George and Catherine, are both lawyers with hectic schedules. They both worked hard for everything they achieved and are determined to instill a solid work ethic in their children. They have agreed to pay for one riding lesson a week, but Stevie must work at the barn in exchange for additional lessons. She is impulsive, stubborn, sarcastic, and often gets into trouble outside of the show ring. On The Mountain Trail Overnight she meets Phil Marsten, who develops a crush on her; they begin dating later on in the series and is the only one of The Saddle Club to have a life-lasting boyfriend. Stevie rides Comanche until she rescues Belle. Stevie is allowed to keep Belle after her original owner realizes that they belong together. Stevie found learning to ride Belle difficult at first, as she was such a high-strung and mighty horse but after time Stevie could just walk outside into the paddock and call her and Belle would be there in a second or less. Stevie has a bad temper, but when she enters the show ring she becomes another person. When not dressed for the riding ring, Stevie has a funky, urban style of her own. She loves vintage clothing stores and often makes a bold, if sometimes outrageous, fashion statement. Her younger brother Michael, is the ultimate pest and seizes any opportunity to aggravate and annoy his sister. Stevie's older brother, Chad does nothing to dissuade Michael from irritating Stevie. He is the one who started the family tradition of practical jokes. Even though her twin brother Alex plays his share of jokes on Stevie, he is fiercely protective of his sister. Alex likes to remind Stevie that he is older than her by six and a half minutes. Stevie's strongest events in riding are Cross-country equestrianism, and dressage. In addition to working at Pine Hollow in exchange for lessons Stevie also works there to pay for Belle's board. In the books Stevie and Veronica go to Fenton Hall Academy together and Stevie's family lives in the same neighborhood as Lisa's family. Stevie's favorite color is Blue.

• Lisa Atwood is a girly girl who struggles to overcome her 'good girl' image. Lisa was named after her Aunt Elizabeth. When she started riding, she did not think she would like it very much. Lisa's a Straight A Student. Since her mother makes her do everything a young lady must do, she figured it was just another one of those things. Lisa is a perfectionist, encouraged by her mother to be best at everything. Lisa is completely loyal to her friends, but has a bit of a wandering eye when it comes to boys. She has a series of little crushes, but she doesn't often act on them. But Lisa has another, unexpected side to her character and it is horses, which bring it out. Yes, she is a perfectionist and over-achiever, but she has a way with horses in fact all animals which is almost uncanny. This bond and intuition with horses is particularly strong when it comes to the wild stallion, Diablo. Her first horse was Patch until she graduated to Prancer, an ex-race horse that Lisa is determined to make into a champion show jumper. Lisa's afraid of her mom. She is always striving to be that little bit better than everybody else is so although she is a loyal friend to Carole and Stevie, there is always that edge of rivalry between them to keep things interesting. Lisa gets on well with boys and they really respond to her, because she is such a good listener about any problem they might have. And the advice she gives is always spot-on. As well as the riding lessons, Lisa takes ballet, clarinet, art and tennis classes and she often wishes she has less to do. Lisa has grown from her initial insecure start at Pine Hollow to being an integral part of the place with close bonds with Stevie and Carole. Lisa's strongest event in riding is Jumping. Lisa’s equestrian skills have developed to where they rival, if not overtake, those of her companions who have been riding longer. Lisa's good at making Milkshakes. In "Itchy" Lisa tells Carole that she's allergic to Daisies after she gave her some as an apology present for getting mad at her when Lisa did the right thing and told Mrs. Reg about her allergy symptoms. In Season 3 Lisa has a pink grooming kit for Prancer. Lisa bit her nails until "School Horse". In that same episode she became addicted to Jellybeans. Lisa's favorite color is Orange. In the books Lisa has an older brother named Peter and she's a year older than Carole and Stevie.

• Veronica diAngelo is the spoiled Italian Australian daughter of wealthy businessman, Frank diAngelo, and his wife, Helen diAngelo. Veronica is a big-headed, pompous individual who thinks she is better than everyone else. She is often rude, insulting, mean, witty and loves boys. She likes riding expensive thoroughbreds, but has little interest in caring for them. Despite stepping all over people and tearing them down to get what she wants, she is proven to be a good friend to Kristi and Desi. Deep down Veronica is lonely. All Veronica really wants is for her parents to spend time with her. Veronica is jealous of The Saddle Club's friendship and secretly wants to be friends with them. Veronica pretends to be nice in front of Mrs. Atwood. In the first series, Veronica causes her horse, Cobalt, to have a fatal accident. After Cobalt's death, Veronica temporarily rode Patch after Prancer was assigned to Lisa. Veronica's parents buy her a new horse, Garnet. At first, she doesn't like Garnet but gradually starts to like her after Kristi said that she might buy her off of Veronica. She attends school with The Saddle Club, but was happier at an elite girls' school she attended before her parents bought the estate at Pine Hollow. Veronica becomes interested in Phil Marsten because his family owns land and breeds Arabian horses. When her father's finances suffer in Season 2, she winds up working at the stables to cover Garnet's board and her lessons. For a while Veronica seems to find Scooter annoying, but gradually grows to like him. In "Greener Pastures Part 1" after Cobalt's accident she was worried about Cobalt and wanted to stay with him instead of getting her arm x-rayed after their jumping accident indicating that deep down she really cared about Cobalt and didn't realize how much she loved him until it was too late. As of Season 3, Veronica talks to Kristi via her cell phone. In Season 3, we learn that Veronica is Italian. Veronica has shown her caring side when she warned Lisa that Storm was dangerous and that the first chance that he got he'd hurt her and when she tried to protect Simon by saying that Midnight could kill him when Desi's father decided to put him down instead of selling him. In the "Pine Hollow" series Veronica quits riding after she develops an interest in boys. Veronica's favorite color is Red.

• Kristi Cavanaugh is 14 going on 20 and is Veronica's closest ally. Kristi is Veronica's best friend. She also comes from a wealthy family just like Veronica. Kristi is known as the stable flirt, more interesting in catching boys' attention with expensive riding clothes than in learning to ride. She first arrives in Pine Hollow as a guest of Veronica, but signs up quickly after seeing some of the cute stable hands and riders. She does not have the same dislike for The Saddle Club as Veronica, but does not bond with them either. To her they're too immature and far too poor. She also has a crush on Red, Pine Hollow's stable hand. In "Bloodlines," thanks to The Saddle Club, Kristi learns that Chelsea Smith is her long lost big sister. Kristi has never forgiven Veronica for almost making Red quit Pine Hollow again in "High Stakes Part 1" and in "High Stakes Part 2". Kristi has never forgiven Stevie for saying that it was her fault that Pepper got to old in "The Home Straight". Kristi would love to be a member of The Saddle Club, but she's pulled back by Veronica. The color red makes Kristi look fat. Sometimes Kristi will wear a pendent of a broken heart that Mr. Cavanaugh gave Kristi for her 8th birthday. In "High Horse" Kristi discovers that she's a Horse whisperer. According to Kristi, Melanie can be a bit scary sometimes. Like Veronica, Kristi became friends with Ashley and Melanie. Kristi's been reading tarot cards forever. Kristi's on Thoroughly Horse's file to be a model. In the books Kristi's name is Betsy and she is one of Veronica's three best friends. Kristi rides Mrs. Reg's horse Barq. In Season 2, Kristi would often ride Comanche. After Season 2, Kristi is not seen again and after "Back in The Saddle" Kristi is not mentioned again. Kristi's favorite color is Black.

• Desi Biggins is a beautiful and shy, rather sweet upper-class African Australian girl. She’s been a member of a Pony Club since she was little and now that her family has moved to Willow Creek she can spend even more time on her beloved hobby. Desi, like Veronica and Carole, is an only child. When Desi first arrives at Pine Hollow she’s ignored by Veronica and taken under the wing of The Saddle Club. It’s only when Veronica learns that Desi is the daughter of Barry Biggins, a real estate magnate who has just sold his property development business for some forty million dollars, that Veronica woos the newcomer, changes her tune and cosies up to Desi. But as Desi settles into Pine Hollow she slowly carves out a niche for herself, managing not to fall out completely with The Saddle Club, as well as being Veronica’s ally, a balancing act that indicates just how politically adept she is. Throughout the series, Desi also befriends new Pine Hollow student Simon Atherton, much to the annoyance of Veronica. Desi appreciates Simon’s wit and his ability to deal with Veronica on her own sneaky terms, able to see his potential as a good rider and all round nice guy. Desi is sensitive to paprika. It's hinted that Desi has a crush on Simon. Desi's catch phrase is, "Uh Veronica." In the books Desi's name is Polly Giacomin. Desi's favorite colors are Watermelon Pink and Aquamarine Blue.