The Scoop with Lynda MacCallum

As seen in the April 2019 issue of Horse Deals magazine.

Age: 38
Lives: Scone, NSW
Occupation: Grazier/Teacher

Family history with horses? I grew up on a property in a little district called Timor, in the Upper Hunter Valley in NSW. From a very young age (about two years old) I started pony club and spent a lot of days mustering and doing stock work with my father. One day when I was still on the lead, after a long day, my dad looked back at me just in time to see me fall off my pony as I had fallen asleep. I was so lucky to enjoy a childhood of pony club and gymkanas. Then in my teenage years, my parents took me all over the state to shows riding hacks and Australian Stock Horses. Campdrafting was also a major passion, and it wasn’t until 2009 that I first competed in the cutting pen, on a Snafflebit Futurity horse I had trained myself.

Tell us about your first pony. My first pony was a Shetland called Tiny, but the pony after that was very memorable. My Dad organised to go and pick up the pony from a very well-known character in the Timor district, named Ken MacDonald. I was about six years old at the time. I was so excited and clapping my hands I asked “What’s his name, Mr McDonald?”
He looked at Dad and smiled and said as quick as a flash “Elvis the Great”. So Elvis the Great he was to me, and years later when the pony had well and truly been handed on, Dad told me his real name had really been Little Bastard.
In hindsight, that pony sure did live up to his name...

Upon leaving school you studied teaching. What made you want to take on this career? I always wanted to contribute to society in a positive way, and I thought teaching was a great way to do this. I’m a high school teacher and I have always enjoyed my teaching career, and I really love working with teenagers. Before I had my children I taught Ag, and we would travel to all the major cattle shows showing steers. It was a fantastic time and I still keep in contact with many of my students from these days.

Tell us the story of how you met your husband Jim. Jim is a Stock and Station Agent in Scone, and I always knew of him and his family growing up. I had come home from University on holidays, and some friends and I wanted to head to the local Rugby Ball in Scone (one of my friends was interested in a local rugby player). The only person I knew who played rugby and could get me some tickets to the ball was Jim. So I called him when he was at the saleyards one Monday night to see if he could help me out, and well, the rest is history I guess.

How did you make the transition to cutting? I loved campdrafting, but I always admired the cutting horse. I loved watching their skill and athleticism, and I loved watching how their instincts took over when on a cow. A friend of mine was going out with Tom Williamson when he was training One Moore Playboy for the cutting pen. Tom gave me a ride one day, and the feeling of that horse’s connection with a cow was the most incredible thing I had ever experienced. So from there I started training my own snafflebit futurity horses, and gradually progressed to competing in hand-down events. I loved having a goal, and the training every day is different, and it is definitely one of the most rewarding and fulfilling sports I have ever participated in.

What are some of the highlights of your riding career? My first major highlight would be winning Reserve Champion Girl rider at Canberra Royal Show when I was 16. But I would have to say the major highlight was the 2018 NCHA Futurity Show. I still can’t believe what happened at that event. I had been unwell and in hospital only two weeks before it started, and I can still remember a doctor saying to me at that time, “you’ll never ride again”. I had just been diagnosed with MS, but I knew I had a couple of really special horses that were right on track for that Futurity, and Jim and the kids and I made a plan that they would do as much of the on the ground work as possible, and I would just hop on and show. So, with the help of a couple of others that’s exactly what we did. I was just so happy to be there and competing. I think mentally I was just in a state of execution. We came away from that show with the most amazing list of achievements:
• Champion and Reserve Champion Amateur Futurity
• 3rd and 5th in the Non-Pro Fruturity
• Champion Amateur Derby
• 4th Non-Pro Derby
• Champion Non-Pro Classic Challenge
• Reserve Champion Open Futurity
I still cant believe it happened, and I get very emotional when I think about it. It was a team effort from Jim, our children Peter and Olivia, and so many others, as is every show. I feel so blessed to be a part of an industry that is so caring and inclusive. The people in the cutting industry make it so special and unique.

Talk us through your current show team. We are very lucky to have a great show team at the moment. Get Hawky (Catty Hawk x Erin Shortys Spinner) is a five year old gelding, and he is very special to us as he has won us many titles, and now my daughter Olivia competes on him in the Junior Youth. He is such a character, and we would be lost without him. Metallic Storm (Metallic Cat x Oaks Chime) is a four year old colt and is a Derby horse this year. He won Reserve Champion in the Open Futurity last year, and I can’t wait to show him again at the upcoming shows. Evanesecance (Metallic Cat x Oaks Unchained Melody) is a seven year old mare who we have just brought back into work after she has had a foal. Jim and Olivia will compete on her. She is a very special mare and we can’t wait to show her again. I also have three, three year olds for the NCHA Futurity in Tamworth in June.

Inspirationally, much of your success has been on horses you’ve trained solely yourself. Why did you choose to take the lengthier route? Jim and I love training our horses ourselves. It takes a lot of time and commitment, and we enjoy that side of it. But we also love the challenge it brings each day. We are constantly having to adapt our training methods for the horse, as they are all so different. We also love the example it gives to our children, that nothing is achieved without hard work and commitment.

What’s it like balancing family life and a team of cutting horses? It’s challenging, especially with other commitments the kids have through school and their sport, as well as Jim’s business. But I’m so blessed that Jim, Peter and Liv love it as much as I do, so it’s great to be working together toward a common goal.
Both Peter and Olivia like to show, Olivia especially. She just loves it and was recently the Junior Youth Champion at our National Finals Show (she was the youngest in the event). Peter is very passionate about his cricket and plays a lot of rep cricket, so he comes and competes whenever it is outside cricket season.

What’s your tip for someone wanting to get started in cutting? Cutting is a fantastic sport, and the people in our industry are so supportive and kind. My advice would be to make contact with a professional trainer or a mentor who can help you get started. We now have an event called ‘Grass Roots’ which is for people who would like to have a go in the cutting pen. My other advice would be to ask someone you trust, a trainer or mentor, to help you find a good fully trained cutting horse, so that horse can help teach you what you should be feeling, and how to put a run together.

We were all saddened to hear that you’ve recently been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. How has your outlook on life changed since? The biggest change for me is to try and value the little things, do as many of the things that I love as possible, and really look after myself. I have some very supportive friends, both in and out of the cutting pen. I value these friendships more than ever, and I limit my time around people and things that ‘empty my bucket’, and spend more time on things and around people who ‘fill up my bucket’. I try not to let it affect me, but sometimes my symptoms mean I have to stop for a few days. I try to just roll with it now. I can’t change it and I really want to make the most of each day, as I don’t know what the future holds.

Who has had the biggest influence on your riding career? The biggest influence would have to have been my late father, Stan Watson. He was the person who first lifted me into a saddle, and I know he would be so proud of my achievements. I miss him every day, and I know he is with me sometimes when I compete.

Share a typical day in your life. Jim and I usually get up around 5am. We start working horses until I have to go and get the kids ready for school, which is about 7am. I take them to the bus at 8am, and we work horses until we are finished. We then do other jobs like office work or jobs around the farm in the afternoon, before it’s after school sport and feed-up.

What are two qualities that you look for in a horse? Trainability and cow.

Mares or geldings? Geldings.

What is the first thing you have to pack to take away to a competition? My hat. I’m always paranoid I’ll forget it.

What do you like to do outside of horses? I really enjoy Peter and Olivia’s other activities. I love watching Peter play cricket, and Liv is always involved in extra-curricular activities such as swimming. I also love to read and I really enjoy a beautiful dinner with my husband or friends.

If you could give an 18 year old Lynda one piece of advice, what would it be? Trust the process.

What are your long term goals? My health is a big one, and to enjoy my family and my children. Also, to train and win the Futurity on a horse we have bred ourselves.

3 things we don’t know about you?
1. Just before I cross the timeline, I get off, adjust my saddle and get back on the off-side (it’s my pre-game ritual and omen).
2. Our family has a beef cattle operation on King Island. It’s our ‘escape’ and we enjoy going there to do cattle work.
3. When I get cranky I bake cupcakes.

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