As motion pictures go this one lacks in a number of areas, specifically dialog and acting, which is often amateurish. But you can't find fault with the household story, revolving around a young teen lady who is different, including her given name "Moondance." Kay Panabaker is Moondance. Her dad died not long ago but she universal constructor still had her artist mother Gelsey, played well by 40-something Lori Loughlin. By her own admission, Moondance has couple of, if any, good friends because fellow trainees tease her name and the method she gowns. The movie starts on the last day of school as summer break starts.
She has a little job, utilizing her bicycle to make small bundle shipments in the backwoods surrounding her home (shot in the Canadian Rockies and surrounding areas). One day, riding along a dirt road, a Pinto horse appears in front of her, evidently leaping the fence. We later on learn this is a practice of the Pinto, whom she names "Checkers", and this later can be found in convenient in a leaping competition.
As it turns out the horse is not lost, but is owned by Don Johnson as Dante, a male of gruff behavior and couple of words. We later discover he had been a horse trainer but something happened and he had given up. Moondance does not want to be separated from Checkers, so she deals to work totally free, beginning at 6:30 AM each day, cleaning up stalls, etc and in return she gets to ride Checkers.
It is tough to figure why skater Sasha Cohen has a function, other than it appears she has acting aspirations. Here she is Fiona Hughes, a nasty and self-centered girl who won the Junior leaping championship last year, and who takes every opportunity to try and put Moondance down. There is no subtlety to her acting.
In general an excellent family movie, with an excellent message, and no bad language, no sex, no violence. We require more movies with those characteristics.
SPOILERS: Dante consents to help Moondance and Checkers prepare yourself for the yearly jumping competitors. However he alerts her not to get her hopes up. However they succeed, have a flawless trip, and end up co-champions with the mean Fiona. Proving that "various" can be great under the right conditions.