3'8" & a 4' (spread) oxer

The primary lesson from the flat from this week's John lesson was to really pull Charlie together - not to let him schlep around on the forehand. I can do this with John (or anyone) correcting me from the ground, but I'm still struggling with identifying the right level on my own. Mostly, it is pushing him forward so he has impulsion, then "channeling" it with "side-rein" hands and using my core for half-halts. I also need to work more on heels down and forward (not swinging behind me), sitting up tall, and Charlie's bend to the inside. Over fences, we started with this little vertical, and both Charlie and I (but particularly me) jumped it like we'd never jumped anything before. But as John gradually raised it, Charlie got rounder and bouncier as we came to it. I like how John gradually changes things, so I can keep working on what I'm trying to do (I am soooo slow) but don't have to think about a new fence in a new location. So I could work on coming around the first corner (the critical time period), looking at the fence, sitting up, keeping my leg on, keeping the rhythm consistent, and then a little half halt with leg on for a SPRING over the fence. Charlie really rounds up and gets interested when the fence gets taller or wider, which means he jumps easier and better and I have less to do. John said that when Shannon switched to Training from Novice that's when Charlie really started to shine, so hopefully I can pull my act together and not make him stay at Novice too long. After we got the vertical all the way up to 3'8" (from a trot) and Charlie had a couple really nice round fences, then we switched to an oxer. Oxers are easier to canter (first, at least) because they are wider, and there's more impulsion coming in from the canter. For this one, we worked on the same thing - it wasn't that high, but John gradually made it wider and wider (with a pole laid diaganolly across it). So again, I worked on a nice, bouncy, even canter, sitting up around the corner and half-halting, keeping my eye up, and then kicking at the fence. Charlie was a total rock star over this one. His ears picked up and when the fence got wide, I had to quit looking at it because it was so huge, but Charlie just ROCKED it. The take away was that when I could keep all the "tips" in my head, and when Charlie perked up, I could ride pretty easy to the fence and to the spot, and it felt really smooth. So that felt great. What still needs work is I can't consistently "see ahead" what's going to go wrong in time to fix it. I really like the John lessons. At the end, I always look at the fences with awe, but he builds them up so gradually that each lesson builds confidence without being overwhelming.