difference of opinion... am I wrong?

I've been schooling my friend's 3 yr old warmblood cross pony because she's too big for her. She's a nice pony, very willing and gentle, and is used for lessons a couple times a week... just walk/trot sort of stuff. Well, I've been working on getting her cantering, but also schooling her trot, so that she goes nice and forward. She's learning her lateral suppleness really well, and will step right sideways into her corners if I ask her too. I've acheived this great responsiveness to my leg mostly through teaching her to leg yeild.

This week during one of her lessons, the pony started pulling into the middle of the ring at the trot, against her rider's wishes, and refusing to move forwards. So when went to school her this week, the owner really made me feel like it was my fault the pony wasn't listening, like I was "confusing" her. She also told me not to do leg yeilding with her anymore. I didn't say much at the time, but suggested that maybe she should introduce some basic lateral exercised to her student, like a guided turn on the forehand to help her learn to use a more authoritative leg, but she seemed to think that was completely wrong. I dunno, but I though listening to leg aids helps develop straightness and control? Help!!! I'm so frustrated I'm temped to not ride the pony for a few weeks, and see what happens

In a nutshell the owner would be better off twirling a baton!

Yeah - the horse knows that he has his owners card when she's on his back. It's not you, nor the horse - it's the rider.

Lemme clarify... the owner is too big for the pony, but uses her for riding lessons. The pony was giving the lesson kids trouble.

Every training thing I've ever come into contact with has said leg yielding is essential... I mean when is leg yielding not a good idea?
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The fact that she's even using a greenbroke 3 year old for riding lessons with a student novice enough that can't correct that sets off alarm bells as to how knowledgeable she is. You're probably doing wonders for this pony, but it sounds like she's just living off the avails of YOUR hard work. Why doesn't she sell the pony if she's too big? I would honestly get out of this situation with someone so uneducated and lacking in horsemanship as to be giving novice lessons on a pony you're trying to train!

Haha, thanks for the moral support... the funny thing is, she's an experieced riding coach... I mean, that's where I started riding back when I was in highschool. But yeah, I'm basically just trying to help out the kids riding her. Yes, she is probably going to sell the pony, and the miles I put on her now are going to make her a better pony for whoever gets her. I just don't want to see her become one of those nice quiet horses that gets ruined falling into the wrong hands.

Means nothing. There are a ton of "experienced" coaches out there that know very little.

They have just been able to muddle along and no one found out how little they realy know or did find out and chalked it up to "buyer beware".

What Spyder said.

What kind of trainer says not to practice leg yields?? Strange...

It sounds like the person taking the lesson obviously couldn't make the horse do what she wanted him to do. The horse was taking advantage of that.