Local horse riding enthusiasts have made a renewed push for a riding facility at the Long Road Sports Centre after previous negotiations fell flat in 2019.
The plan had been to share the area where the scouts are.
Several riders had had detailed discussions with the previous Tamborine Mountain Sports Association (TMSA)President and councillor at the time, Nigel Waistell.
She was one of a group of riders who met with Mick and Tamborine Mountain Sports Association general manager, Adam Chanter, to reignite the project recently.
The riders, who are mostly women and children, believe the community gets a great deal of pleasure out of seeing their horses around the mountain.
They hope to secure the area next to the scout hut while still ensuring it remains multi-use.
One of the riders involved in the original proposal stressed riders were not seeking a high-end facility, just a basic, safe parcel of land, similar to the many free ones on the Gold Coast.
They are proposing a grass arena with a mobile arena which could be easily put up and taken down.
“The biggest thing is safety. My kids want to ride, and the road is really unsafe,” one of the other riders attending the meeting, Rozie Linder, said.
Tamborine Mountain resident, Hilary Stubbs, who is a coach for the riding for disabled association at Arundel Park and specialises in equine assisted learning, stated there is a real need for horse facilities on the mountain which would benefit a range of people.
“My focus is on safety and inclusion, and I encourage inclusivity in sports on the mountain and up here that is sorely missing,” Hilary said.
Both Mick and Adam said they would like to see a riding facility at the sports centre and asked the riders to again put forward a proposal outlining how the facility would look and what requirements they’d need.
Mick stressed it was important to keep it as a multi-use amenity and work together with existing groups currently there.
He said the individual clubs needed to come together to serve everyone’s needs which is what the sports association’s master plan is about.
The master plan for the Long Road Centre does not currently include horse riding and the large number of local riders are hoping that will now change to accommodate the large community of horse enthusiasts.
The riders plan to meet with Mick and Adam in a month to get their feedback on their proposal and progress a facility.
Anyone wishing to support the riding facility who would like to be involved in the planning can email Hilary Stubbs at stubbshil@aol.com.
