When Alison Sweeney’s not filming a new Hallmark project, there’s a good chance you’ll find the actress riding, watching, or tending to horses. Sweeney takes after her mom, a championship equestrian, and they’ve passed on that passion to her 17-year-old daughter, Megan.
Despite her lifelong love of horses, Sweeney’s newest movie — “Romance at Hope Ranch,” premiering on February 28, 2026 — is her first-ever horse movie, with sweeping scenes of her riding through the countryside and intimate peeks at her bonding with the horse who plays Ranger.
Despite the natural fit and her desire to work with horses, Alison told EntertainmentNow that she credits Hallmark pal Jonathan Bennett for finally bringing that dream to life.
Alison Sweeney Loved Filming With Horses for ‘Finding Mr. Christmas’
During a season two episode of Bennett’s reality competition series “Finding Mr. Christmas,” Sweeney filmed scenes with the hunky contestants, reciting lines as they mounted their horses and rode side by side.
“That was fun, but then there’s mounting and dismounting a horse in every take,” she laughed. “I was sore, tired, and I was nervous to be the pro in this scenario. I was like, ‘Oh gosh, please don’t mess it up this take.’ I mean, a lot of them had never ridden before, so that was pretty impressive.”
When Bennett found out she’d never filmed a movie with horses, she told EntertainmentNow, he couldn’t believe it and insisted she pursue that dream.
“We had been talking about developing and shooting ‘Hope Ranch,'” she recalled. “So I said, ‘I’m going to give you the credit when it happens.’ He willed it into being for me, and now here we are.”
Casting the Right Horse Was Critical, Alison Sweeney Says
In “Romance at Hope Ranch,” Sweeney plays Hope Morgan, an empty nester who steps into a years-long dream of owning a ranch in Ruidoso, a small town in southeastern New Mexico where the movie was filmed.
Sweeney has some exciting co-stars, including her longtime “Hannah Swensen Mysteries” buddy Gabriel Hogan, who plays Hope’s long-lost ex, and her real-life daughter Megan, appearing in her first movie role. But equally exciting for Sweeney was working with the horses on-set, from casting the horse that would play Ranger — a key character in the movie with a bit of an attitude — to learning how to ride him like a cowgirl, not an equestrian.
“Those horses are extremely well trained, but not for the type of riding that I do,” she told EntertainmentNow, noting that the horses’ trainer “gave me a lesson on the first day, and he was like, ‘I’m sure you’re gonna be fine.’ But I wanted to look like I know what I’m doing.”
“I met all the horses, and then we had to cast one of the horses to be Ranger,” she said. “We had a lengthy discussion. It was so funny, because it was just me and that guy discussing at length, like the character of each horse, and everyone else in the meeting was like, ‘Are they serious right now? Is this
really happening?’ And I was like, ‘Yes, totally! I’m just telling you, if we pick the wrong horse, it’s
gonna really be a mess.'”
The horse they cast as Ranger was perfect, Sweeney said, because “he really does turn away from you and, like, gives a little attitude, and he was great.”
Alison Sweeney Had the Sweetest Bonding Moment With Horse That Played Ranger
Hallmark“Romance at Hope Ranch” has many heartwarming scenes, but one of the sweetest features Hope trying to bond with Ranger. After days of being stubborn and stand-offish, Ranger finally starts to come around and nuzzles up to Hope.
Sweeney told EntertainmentNow that really happened, and it was caught on film because their director, Tailiah Breo, was so patient during the horse sequences.
“When we’re out in the pasture, that was very natural,” Sweeney recalled. “We loosely (knew) what we wanted to achieve, and then if the horses interacted with me in a certain way, you know, it was sort of makeshift — whatever we could sort of pull together to carry the story forward. It was sort of whatever happens, happens.”
“Then in that (intimate) scene with Ranger, the point is, you know, they have this connection moment,” Sweeney explained. “So I said, ‘Well, if I just groom him for a while, you might get something that we can use.’ So I just stood there and pet him … and we did one or two takes that were okay and would have been fine, but then the third take, he just put his head right there. And I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, this
is the best!’ It was so great.”
Meanwhile, Sweeney also had fun with a quirky chicken named Houdini, who pops up throughout the film. An Instagram video she posted on February 26 featured some quick glimpses of his funny scenes, prompting her to declare him her “favorite” co-star of all.
“Romance at Hope Ranch” premieres on February 28 at 8 p.m. Eastern time, and will be available to stream via Hallmark+ the following day.
I can’t wait to watch it!