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- Trainer Andre Dignelli and student Natalie Johnson
- © 2005 by Nancy Jaffer
As things turned out, it was going right to the bullseye.
"Horse Power" scored a direct hit on its target audience. Animal Planet's senior vice president for marketing, adult jumper rider Vicki Lowell, said viewership among teens was up 25 percent from the average Wednesday night, and up 170 percent in the category of women aged 18-24. The first night the show aired, it had a million people watching. Can you believe that for hunt seat equitation?
It's obviously all in the way it's presented. And it deftly avoided the cliché that these were rich kids at play. While it's obvious some of the riders have more money than others, and much is made of Lindsay Smith's farm girl background in contrast, the personality and effort that the kids put in becomes much more important than the question of their bank accounts.
Fans from across the country can't wait for the next episode.
Rebecca Miller, a 26-year-old medical biller from Ellijay, Ga., is a regular "Horse Power" viewer who says, "I'm glad something like it is finally on TV."
Sara Zimmerman, a Los Altos, Calif., high school student says of the series, "I love it! I think it's great that there's finally a show on TV that follows junior riders, let alone doing the eq, not just the Kentucky Derby. I think that the show might give non-horsey people the impression that this is what it's like to ride, as it doesn't really allude to the idea that most riders don't have as much as the girls (and guy!) on the show do. However, that's not really that big of a deal, as it's way more 'fun' to watch the best of the best."
Sara enjoyed the segue when Frank talked about life in his RV. "I thought it was hilarious how proud he was of all of its amenities!"
Will there be a sequel?
Andre said the Animal Planet people have talked to him about doing something else, maybe a show on shopping for horses in Europe. But that's only one of several opportunities on the horizon for the trainers who starred in "Horse Power."
Though we're waiting to see how it all develops, Frank and Stacia Madden's white-fenced farm has been shown on air, and the couple now plans to offer tours. Frank also has thoughts about future programming.
"The possibilities are endless," he said, though he's not thinking of branching out after his star turn, insisting the only show business that interests him is horse shows.
"I'm just a horse trainer," Frank says with a smile.
View the complete "Horse Power: Road to the Maclay" series schedule to catch all of the episodes.
