share pony very green, needs work and I need some advice ple

Hi there, im new here.

I have just started a share for a 13.2hh welsh sec c, she is 6yrs old. Am an adult and share her with a 12 yr old girl. They haven't had her very long and she needs lots of schooling but the girl just wants to muck around and jump her which is why they have me now. She is ridden in a hackamore as she is very sensitive and always tosses her head when trotting. We think this is a bad habit as she was ridden by lots of children before they got her. I have been being firm and telling her no we don't do that. She has actually got abit better and doesn't do it as much and I make sure I have light hands and contact so not gabbing her. She also doesn't bend very well, say on a 20 mt circle she doesn't bend her neck very well. How can I work on this and improve her bending? She got abit stubborn after about 15 minutes today and decided she wouldn't trot and I couldn't get her to so I used the schooling whip for a bit. She trotted when asked but when I asked her to canter she bucked and this has happened before.

If anyone has some good advice please tell me! Also some good but simple schooling exercises I can do with her I would be very grateful.

Thanks.

It sounds like you're already doing well. Circles, serpentines, renvers, travers, getting her to bend her nose back to the girth (or as far as she will go at first) while you are on the ground...those will all help her achieve more flexibility over time. Work firmly through her balkiness. Ride with quiet hands and a quiet seat (especially if she is bucking at the canter, not too much driving seat). I'd get her working more willingly in the walk and trot before attempting much canter work. I'm not a big fan of hackamores in general, especially if she is just generally stiff and balky (they seem to work better the lighter and more sensitive the horse is), but if she works well in it, so be it. She sounds like the type who needs some alone time with a single, confident rider who's going to be very black and white with her.

Well put sara!* I agree.*