When Pepper gains weight while Zoey is out sick, she feels ugly and embarrassed, especially when the other horses make fun of her, but her crash diet has dire consequences.
When Nani Cloud, a Native American (Cherokee) girl and her Paint horse, Sunburst, come to Horseland, Zoey discovers that all her preconceptions about Indians are wrong.
The kids are invited to take part in the Heritage Day parade, setting off a storm of controversy on what to wear to represent their various heritages and still be a team.