Help!

[Hopes]

Hi, I have started sharing a 14.2hh Irish cob mare, rising 7. She is so sweet however riding wise she is a lot more uneducated and out of work than i was led on to believe. She will not canter (she has been in full work before and cantered fine), at the moment she just bucks when i ask and then continues to buck around the school. People at my yard have advised me to do just walk and trot work for a few works in order to bring her fitness back up and ensure that she is fully listening to me and i can keep proper control of her.
I was wondering if anyone had any advice or experience on this matter and would know of any exercises i could do to help build her fitness up. Also by bringing her fitness up, will it definitely ensure that she will begin to canter normally again, or is there something else that i need to do?

 

[On the Hoof]

Hi, I dont have the experience to advise you, but try reposting this in the Tack Room where more people might see it. Good luck!

 

[Exploding Chestnuts]

When you say sharing, I assume that the owner will be riding some days and you will ride some days.
To build up fitness we need to know how much exercise she gets at the moment.
Most horses start off with 20 minutes walking six days a week, build up to 40 minutes walk and trot in about six weeks. By this time they should not be overweight and should be able to trot for five minutes easily.
Walking on a road surface for twenty minutes per day will aid fitness and harden the ligaments. Do not trot an unfit horse on the road. Do not go on a road if you are not confident.
The best thing is to get an instructor to help you. The owner or other sharer should not just expect you to cope with an unknown horse on your own.
There are several things which can cause bucking, and you need an experienced person to help you. The saddle may not fit well, or the girth may nip or the arena may be too small or other reasons.
You and the other sharer need to co-ordinate and agree on a plan.
It is not a good idea to go round and round in circles, you need to have an exercise plan, use poles for trotting, and do 20m circles and serpentines. Find a good instructor and ask her to help you. Others in the yard are not really reliable, you can't be sure they know any more than you do