Held under its iconic red roof on the Gold Coast since 2006, Australian Outback Spectacular provides a uniquely Aussie experience like no other. Since opening, it has captivated the hearts of over 2.5 million people – and its current show, Heartland, is as popular as ever. The show wouldn’t be the success it is without its 80-strong equine workforce, expertly managed by Heidi Mackay and her dedicated team.
Australian Outback Spectacular’s iconic show is a huge undertaking. With the involvement of 25 cast members, 80 horses and countless other animals, it takes more than a year of preparation before a 1000-strong audience is seated. The result is breathtaking; a sophisticated projection mapping system transports audiences through a changing Australian landscape and provides an authentic backdrop for the stars of the show to portray life on the land.
The show, now in its seventh edition, has always involved a large equine contingent; after all, horses have always been part and parcel of life in the Australian outback. The incredible 80-strong equine workforce is led by equine manager Heidi Mackay, who has been involved in the show since its inception. “The show runs three to five times a week depending on the time of year, and with up to 65 horses involved in a single show, we need a lot of horses,” she explains. “Every horse – especially the lead horses – they all have a back-up. There are usually three horses for every lead horse.”
Managing 80 horses sounds like a monumental task, however, Heidi has it down to a fine art. She’s been a part of Outback Spectacular since it began 17 years ago and says it’s her dream job.
“I’m very passionate about my horses and have been a horse lover since I was a little girl. I competed through Pony Club into my teenage years, and then became an animal trainer,” she explains. Heidi puts landing her dream job down to luck, believing it came down to knowing the right people and being in the right place at the right time. However, when it comes to horses, luck often has little to do with it – it’s more likely skill, determination and hard work that led Heidi to where she is today.
Twenty-nine years ago, Heidi returned from working with some top trainers in the USA and subsequently secured a job at Warner Bros. Movie World on the Gold Coast as an animal trainer. When the owners, Village Roadshow Theme Parks, began talking about the possibility of starting Australian Outback Spectacular, Heidi jumped at the opportunity to audition.
“It was my dream job. I had to audition like everybody else and was lucky enough to get in as a rider. I did the very first show and have been there ever since,” she recalls. Tony Jablonski was the original horse trainer and Heidi worked with him as a rider for many years. She explains that her promotion to Equine Manager came about through difficult circumstances, as Tony sadly passed away some years ago. “He gave his blessing to the company for me to step into his role. I was really gobsmacked when it got offered to me; I couldn’t believe they would think that much of me. I feel so privileged and lucky that I love my job so much.”
‘HEARTLAND’
The Australian Outback Spectacular show is reimagined approximately every four years, with the current show, Heartland, its seventh variation since inauguration.
Heartland delves into the gripping tale of two struggling Aussie farmers, Reg and Marge, who are battling a devastating drought. Audiences cry and then rejoice with them as the community’s courage, bravery and generosity help them overcome a stunning yet unforgiving life on the land.
“I’ve seen so many people
cry when they watch
and experience the finale.”
Heidi says her favourite part of Heartland, as has been the case with other Outback Spectacular shows, is the finale. “I’ve seen so many people cry when they watch and experience the finale. It’s very Australian; this show has made many people very emotional as it’s about the drought. It’s very real… we get down to the reality of having to shoot animals; no one wants to have to do that. It’s very educational in that respect, for people who don’t understand what farmers go through.”
Of course, no animals are actually harmed during Heartland and it all comes down to clever training – but like anything involving animals, things don’t always go to plan. “Our horse who gets shot, Charlie – we actually have four Charlies – has been taught to lay down. His job is to come out in the dark and lay down, and then the lights come up and he’s meant to be dying… at this point, some horses take the opportunity to roll rather than act like they’re dying. We’ve had to pull a few from the role because they can’t act the part,” laughs Heidi, adding there isn’t a week that goes past where there’s not some sort of improvising.
“Audiences love it when animals do the wrong thing, it makes it real. It proves we’re not tying horses down or doing anything unethical to make them do what they are doing. The liberty acts in particular, the actors can come in from a show feeling a million bucks… and then the next show they come in and they are nearly crying. There is that saying, ‘You’re only as good as your last show!’ Every horse person experiences that, right?”
That being said, Heidi believes the animals are often more reliable than the humans in front of an audience. “A lot of our horses know the show so well – in fact all of our animals get really show-smart. People make mistakes more than the animals!”
Rehearsals are run each day there is a show, and with trick riders and the like involved there are high-risk elements – therefore, safety is of paramount importance. Rehearsals are often used to practise what to do if things go awry, and while it’s impossible to run through every scenario, it helps the humans involved to understand how they can respond if an incident or accident takes place – even though the latter is very rare.
EXPERT TRAINERS, HAPPY HORSES
“I am very passionate about animal welfare. That’s what keeps me in my job. My role is to speak for them, and I will speak for them no matter what,” says Heidi of the importance Australian Outback Spectacular places on the care of all animals involved in its shows.
The horses in the show are mostly Australian Stock Horses, although Quarter Horses, Clydesdales, Percherons, Friesian crosses and even a Standardbred are currently involved. Heidi travels all around the country looking for the right animals to perform, and the most important aspect is they must enjoy it. “If they don’t want to do it… that’s the last thing I want, to have any animal or human unhappy. It shows; you’re out there performing, and you can’t make animals fake that they’re having a great time.”
She says training new horses up for the show “takes as long as it takes” and it all comes down to the individual. “It depends on the horse, its attitude, and what it’s required to do in the show; we take every horse as an individual and give them the time they need to be comfortable. We expose them to a lot in that arena. The biggest thing in there is not just the lights and sound, it’s a thousand people clapping. In the end, you can’t expose a horse to that without putting them in there. We try and do everything we can to get them used to the lights and the sounds and take whatever time we need to get them comfortable with that, and then we have small educational groups that come through and we’ll practise in the ring with them clapping and making noise. I don’t like to put a timeline on how soon they’ll take part in a show, because every horse is different; if you rush them, you’ll lose them. They’ll end up not liking it, and I don’t want any animals in the show that don’t enjoy what they are doing.”
Heidi explains that training the horses is a team effort. The cast on the night involves 25 people, and she also has three grooms who work during the day to care for the horses. Heidi aims to assign horses to humans based on who she thinks will gel best and keeps them together where possible for continuity. “We’ve had horses in there that don’t like some people… and they will definitely let us know!” she laughs.
With so many people involved, it’s of critical importance that everyone is on the same page, and fortnightly training from external experts helps keep everything cohesive. “It gets everyone on the same page and makes it fair for our horses. When you’ve got so many people, I want everyone working as closely as we can.”
For the humans in the show, it’s their skills with horses that land them the role. “The horse skills are paramount for me,” says Heidi. “We can then work on acting and singing; obviously they have to have that talent there as well, but it’s very hard to find someone who’s an excellent actor, singer and horseman!”
While the show runs week in, week out, the horses rotate regularly and all are given ample holidays – regardless of whether they are stars of the show or one-scene wonders. “Every week a truckload is taken to a property offsite to have a week’s break, and then the next week they’ll come back, and another load goes for a break. Some horses will do one lap of the arena and that’s them done for the night – but they still get their holidays. The horses are not overly worked with the current show. The humans work a little more than the animals do!”
Heidi can’t remember her last holiday. She says it’s through no fault of the company who are actively encouraging her to take a break – she just finds it hard to leave her beloved animals. “With so many animals, I hate going away. I’m leaving 80 horses, five dogs… it’s too much stress! It’s like leaving children,” she laughs.
It’s not surprising Heidi is so attached to the horses, as some have been colleagues of hers since the show’s inception. “Some have been with the show for 17 years. The Friesian crosses and a Clydesdale, they’ve been there from the start. We also have an Australian Stock Horse, Bounty, and he’s been in every show from the beginning in various roles. Every person that has been lucky enough to work with Bounty just falls in love with him. He’s got a long list of names who want to take him when he retires!”
Retired show horses often end up with cast members who have bonded with them after working together. “It works out perfectly because I know the home they are going to, and I can trust they are actually going to retire. We also have a few retirees that have stayed with us and remain at the spelling property; they are high-needs horses, so we’ve kept them to ensure they are looked after.”
FROM HORSES TO DOGS
“I don’t think I’ll ever not have a Kelpie now that I’ve worked with them,” says Heidi of the dogs she’s been working with since Outback Spectacular’s fifth show, Salute to the Light Horse, which incorporated the story of Red Dog.
More than a horse person, Heidi is also chief dog trainer for Australian Outback Spectacular. “The Kelpies are so amazing, they make me look good,” she laughs. “They know each person and will interact differently with each lead actor… sometimes they will take the mickey out of them!
“I now have three Kelpies – Red, aged 10, Oi, aged nine and new recruit Spud, nine months. Oi, he was Red’s double and therefore had to be called Red in the show. The dogs live with me at home, and I couldn’t have two called Red. We called him Oi so that when the actors called him, they could say “Oi, Red, come out here!” People laughed at me when I did it. Now when I’m at the dog park, I’m yelling out “Oi!” and everyone turns around.”
A LIFELONG LOVE
Although Heartland is in its fourth year, a lot of downtime courtesy of Covid means it’s planned to continue for another two years – and besides, it has been incredibly popular. “We’re so busy at the moment. We’re sold out every show!” says Heidi, who has been through many show changes over the years.
“Starting a new show is an exciting – albeit massive – job. It’s heads down, bums up for at least 12 months, and then it’s at least six months after that until you can start to relax and the show begins folding into itself. It’s really exciting for the cast to be involved in something new and so big.”
Heidi says she couldn’t imagine working anywhere else, and it’s a sentiment shared by others in the team, including a stablehand who has been there 17 years, Heidi’s 2IC of eight years, and the Village Roadshow Theme Parks General Manager, Shane Phillips, who has been with the company for an incredible 35 years. Australian Outback Spectacular has also been a launching pad for many in the equestrian industry: “I’ve seen lots of people come through our show and go on to do bigger and better things, and now they are really thriving in the horse world,” observes Heidi.
Landing the job with Australian Outback Spectacular 17 years ago really was a dream come true for Heidi, and she has no intention of doing anything else. She credits the animals for her longevity in the job: “It’s why I’ve stayed for so long. I will retire here; I have no doubt!”
ANOTHER AUSSIE ICON JOINS THE CAST
Outback farmers, Australian Stock Horses, Kelpies… Outback Spectacular really is quintessentially Australian. In August, the production welcomed another fair dinkum Aussie cast member in RB Sellars, with the rural outfitters named as the new presenting partner for the iconic Gold Coast show. Not only will RB Sellars outfit all team members at Australian Outback Spectacular, but a new on-site store will allow audiences to peruse their hard-wearing workwear and down-to-earth wardrobe essentials pre- and post-event.
The human cast members are enjoying the benefits of the partnership, with the brand’s workshirts in demand by the team: “I’m dressed in RB Sellars shirts, I really love them,” enthuses Heidi. Not to be outdone, the savvy equine stars have of course requested their own RB Sellars apparel!
“Outback Spectacular really
is quintessentially Australian”
To find out more about the RB Sellars range, visit rbsellars.com.au. RB Sellars’ Equestrian collection, including quality horse rugs, can be found here.
To find out more about the magic of Australian Outback Spectacular – including how to book a seat at an upcoming show – visit outbackspectacular.com.au
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