Weebles wobble but they don't fall down

That's my attitude for our first show this year. Due to a series of bad circumstances (work (of course) and then an odd, temporary lameness) Willig is really only getting ridden this week out of this month, in preparation for our show this weekend at our barn. A month ago, I felt like we were on top of the tests and just polishing the details. Now we feel like chaos in motion.
Regardless, the chaos meant that finally (I can't believe I'm excited about this), Mike got to observe Willig acting up a little bit during our lesson. He was just being a goober about the far end of the arena (I heard that at least four horses got scared of the hose being in a new place, so that makes me feel a little better), and so Mike gave me some tips on how to deal with it during a show:
First - make several little loops as soon as I come in the gate so he sees the scary end at least twice each direction - THEN, if there's time - ride down and past the Judge's stand.
Second - as we approach, watch his ears! (c'mon self, you should know this by now), and BEFORE he pops his head up and his shoulder out and jumps around, correct him. It's ok to use a very firm hand and say "No. You will bend to the inside." Of course, combined with some leg like a half pass.
Third - If I need to, cut the corner a little. It's better to cut the corner and maintain his frame than to force him into the corner, he freaks, everything falls apart, and we lose points on every movement down there.
Other than that, we continued to polish. What's fascinating to me is that he was as good as he was, after all that time off (Mike pointed out it's a big shift in MY attitude since he first met us), and that I can feel the "blips" in the movements - something I didn't used to even notice. We're improving!
What remains discouraging to me is that we're riding Training 1 and 2. Willig is 9 this year. I'm 34. Although I took most of my life off, I've been riding enough years that it makes me frustrated I never learned things properly enough so that I'm farther now. Better late than never I guess.
We did Training 3 at the very end of the lesson, just because Mike had mentioned last lesson it has some odd movements in it, and because I'm riding it the weekend after this at another show. Holy cow, it sure does. Weird 20 meter circles. A stretchy circle at the trot. It's like they jumped an entire level from T-2 to T-3. T-3 to T-4 seems manageable, but I'm not sure I even have the memory for T-3! Yowza!
I'm excited about the show. I wish I'd had more time to prepare, but work has been crazy. I'm just glad I'm getting to ride this week. Also, when I haven't been able to get out for a while, I'm just so grateful to be there and ride at all, that his little hijinks don't bother me as much.