Moondance (Kay Panabaker) is an awkward socially inept 15-year old girl. She has few friends and life is not treating her well. One day a Pinto pony named Checkers enters her life. Although she has no experience with horses, Moondance finds a friend in Checkers and soon meets Gelsey (Lori Loughlin) and Dante (Don Johnson) with the help of her new companions, Moondance discovers a passion she never dreamed up. With encouragement from her family and new friends, she enters a race the Bow Valley Classic. She learns that hard work and persistence pays off as she finds a winner in herself and her pony.