Jon Hensley joined the show on October 15, 1985 in the role of stable boy Holden Snyder as part of head writer Douglas Marland's decision to reintroduce a younger set of characters to revitalize the show. Hensley previously played the role of Brody Price on the ABC soap opera "One Life to Live" the same year. Marland, who previously worked as the head writer of the CBS soap opera "Guiding Light" for a number of years accepted the advice of his young niece to bring on younger characters much like he did on "GL". The plan resulted in the popular romance of Holden and Lily, who was portrayed by Martha Byrne at the time.