“I see in them my own restless spirit,” said Katy McLaughlin, played by Alison Lohman, of the wild Mustangs in the movie “Flicka,” which will be released in theaters on Oct. 20. Lohman overcame inexperience and fear associated with horseback riding to portray a young, passionate horsewoman at odds with her father and searching for her place in life.


The movie opens with a herd of horses galloping across the plains of Wyoming, the state that is home to the McLaughlin family’s ranch. McLaughlin is the only daughter in a family of a long line of ranchers, and she adores the land and the horses that roam there.


In the movie, Lohman’s character befriends a wild Mustang mare that she names Flicka. McLaughlin and Flicka share the same uncontained spirit and bold strength that McLaughlin’s father misinterprets as rebellion. Yet it is those characteristics that ultimately help father and daughter to understand each other. Lohman’s character’s father tries to control his daughter who has just returned from boarding school with failing grades. He is disappointed in her, and just like her teachers, he sees her as someone who needs to be controlled and redirected.


However, “Her father was rebellious,” explains Lohman. “Her father at that age was probably who she is,” explains Lohman.


Finding Flicka and Learning How to Ride 
Then Flicka comes along. “She (McLaughlin) saw her spirit in this Wild Mustang,” explains Lohman. While her character was learning the lessons of life, Lohman was learning how to ride. Her horseback riding began with this movie and she learned that everything isn’t always as it appears.


“I had trouble learning to ride,” said Lohman. “Horseback riding was a lot harder than I thought.” Knowing that her character was supposed to appear “