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The Saddle Club girls look totally different today

Australian-Canadian kids' drama The Saddle Club was huge in the early 2000s, showing three girls becoming friends through their love of riding horses, forming a club and working together to ensure fairness.

But it's been 21 years since it first aired and its stars are no longer girls.

The Saddle Club starred Canadians Keenan MacWilliam as Carole Hanson, Sophie Bennett as Stephanie 'Stevie' Lake, and Aussie actress Lara Jean Marshall as Lisa Atwood.

The 11-year-old characters bonded over riding for Pine Hollow Stables and quickly formed The Saddle Club.

Sophie Bennett, Lara Jean Marshall and Keenan MacWilliam on set in a wooden stable in the very first episode of The Saddle Club wearing warm casual clothing.
Sophie Bennett, Lara Jean Marshall and Keenan MacWilliam in the first episode of The Saddle Club. Photo: YouTube/@PeacockKids

The young actors also connected, despite being from different parts of the world.

"My best memory is definitely when I met Sophie Bennett and Lara Jean Marshall for the first time!" Keenan said in an interview in 2005.

"We are really close!

"We spend a lot of time together.

"We all love riding, watching movies and doing some shopping, all the things teenagers love to do."

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Despite time and distance, Sophie said they remained close.

"We grew up together, so I guess that’s why. I don’t see them often, but when I do it’s lovely!," she revealed in 2018.

The girls also recorded four studio albums for The Saddle Club, all of which charted on the ARIA charts.

But what are the girls – now 33-year-old women – doing today?

Lara Jean Marshall, aka Lisa

Lara was the only Australian in the group and has continued to act.

In 2019 she was living in Los Angeles after filming the Australian TV series We Were Tomorrow, due out this year.

A collage of three photos featuring Lara Jean Marshall, who played Lisa on the show, including one with her horse
Lara Jean Marshall, who played Lisa, has kept up her love of acting and horses since leaving the show. Photo: Instagram/@larajean_marshall

When COVID hit, she moved back to Melbourne.

She now works as a radio journalist at MixxFM & 3HA in regional Victoria, but may return to acting.

Sophie Bennett aka Stevie

Sophie is now a popular blogger and content creator in Toronto using Instagram, YouTube and TikTok to connect with her followers.

A collage of three photos featuring Sophie Bennett, who played Stevie Lake on the show. At left she sits holding a cup on a white set of stairs; at top right she is pictured with fellow star Lara; at bottom right she sits on a lounge in a warm grey jumper.
Sophie Bennett, who played Stevie Lake, turned to directing and producing after her experience as a child actor. She and Lara caught up in LA in 2019. Photo: Instagram/@sophiemaude

Sophie has answered lots of fans' questions about the show on her TikTok account and recently explained why she finally gave up acting for a more peaceful life.

Keenan MacWilliam aka Carole

Keenan has also given up acting to move to the other side of the camera as a director, creative director and multidisciplinary artist in New York.

"I got over acting by the time I was 18," she told Other Suns.

"I got tired of the kinds of roles they were asking me to audition for.

"But I was exposed to different roles on set, so I learned about jobs people had that I probably wouldn’t have known existed.

"I was most drawn to the writers and the directors - and production design was cool."

Two photos of The Saddle Club's Keenan MacWilliam as she is today; at left she has her hair tied back and at right she is lying down wearing a black wet-look crop top.
Keenan MacWilliam has also changed paths since her time as Carole on The Saddle Club, becoming an art director in New York. Photo: Instagram/@keenanmac

She has worked with influential brands and artists, including Apple, i-D Magazine, Lauryn Hill, Nike and The New York Times.

The Saddle Club had a reboot in 2008 with a new cast, including The Bold Type's Aisha Dee and Home and Away actress Marny Kennedy.

Maybe it's time for another reboot for a new decade,

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