Rose Linder has been riding since she was two years old.
Growing up on a beef cattle farm mustering was a regular part of life on the farm.
Her passion for horses grew as she moved into eventing, dressage, polo and even cutting.
“I love the connection with the horse,” she said.
“I did Parelli demonstrations around Australia when he came out here. Now I focus on the biomechanics and how we can help them move in the best possible way to keep them fitter for longer.”
Rose and her family moved to Tamborine Mountain in 2015 from Wongawallan.
“We loved the community and would always come up to see friends and I’d bring the kids to the library and playgrounds,” she said.
“The beauty up here is so wonderful. We are very lucky.”
Finding a suitable horse property took some time and they found their home on Great Western Road by chance as it wasn’t advertised as a horse property, despite having an arena and stables.
Living on the mountain with horses came with some challenges and downsides though.
“In Wongawallan there are a lot of community arenas to ride on and float trips were easier, not having to navigate the mountain roads,” Rose said.
“Here you have to travel off the mountain to do anything with the horses.
“I’ve had to relearn everything on the other side of the mountain because the float trip is too long to go towards the coast.”
As well as her horses Rose has twin girls, Harmony and Liberty, 14 who share their mum’s love affair with horses.
“I’d love to see safe riding areas off the road here. My kids want to ride here but it’s not safe,” she shared.
“It’s not enjoyable and a stressful experience riding on the road.”
Despite this the girls have dreams of eventually buying their own house here and filling it with dogs, cats and of course horses.
Rose works as an access and inclusion officer for the Gold Coast City Council which allows her to work from home part of the time.
“It’s amazing being able to work from home. I’d have left the job after COVID if I couldn’t maintain a flexible working arrangement; I’d had enough of commuting,” she said.
She has also set up a company, Equine Expression, which focuses on helping people buy better tack that’s kinder to the horse.
“It’s about listening to the horse and encouraging people to listen to them,” she said.
Rose also offers holiday care for people with horses and other animals on the mountain wanting to go away.
“It’s hard to go away when you are an animal owner, especially with horses,” she explained.
