400 mpm & Charlie's take on jumping

With the first show of the season rapidly approaching, I've suddenly realized all of the things I didn't work on, that I am now basically out of time to work on.  Like my fitness, which was vividly illustrated today when I rode 400 meters (trying to time it for 1 minute, which, bizzarely, I accomplished) and by 1/4 of the way around, I thought "There's no way I can make this" followed by "But the show is at least 5x longer!".
Charlie definitely prefers to jump more challenging things - either bigger, more complex, or more intimidating.  His ears perk up, he gets engaged without a lot of effort from me, and he just floats over it when he puts his hind legs into it.
Some follow up from Major Beale:  legs push down from the hip, not heels jammed down.  This is, I think, almost the same as thinking "lift your toes".  But after I rode with him, my gimpy right hip was sore, and today George the rolfer suggested a stretch for each time after I ride to loosen it up.  Left knee is bent (knee over ankle), right leg is slightly behind you on your knee, then you move forward to lengthen the hip flexor.  It is crazy how tight it is on the right and how it's nothing to lean forward on my left. 
Shannon also pointed out that I need to start riding "like a trainer", which is like what John and Major Beale said - stop poking around and being sloppy and doing the same old pattern each time I ride, but RIDE him each time.  Don't plod along at the walk but make him do an energetic forward walk.  Don't accept a pokey, strung out trot - make him responsive to my aids.  And don't use the rail as my crutch for steering anymore.
I tried to do it yesterday on my own, but it wasn't nearly as successful as in the lesson with Major Beale.  Then I did a jump lesson today, and while Charlie started out sluggish, we did a three jump gymnastic and by the time Shannon made it big, Charlie was excited about it.  She says it's better to have the big canter, in front of the leg, than the dressage frame to the fence, and that I'm still using my legs way too much the last few strides - by then I should wait and let him do his job.
We did a couple little courses, and the good news was my steering was pretty good.  We also did a vertical and then an oxer at an angle (which is also about steering and staying on your line) but for some reason doing it at an angle totally throws me off.
And I think Major Beale was right about the vertigo not being to blame.  I think it was that I bought Charlie and Shannon is riding him less, so the timing just coincided with the vertigo.  Plus, I happened to read "The Simplicity of Dressage" by Johann Hinnemann and Coby van Baalen a few days after Major Beale, and it said, "[F]or amateurs like you who usually only ride one horse, acquiring good contact and a straight horse are the most difficult things to do.  This is because you become crooked with your horse and are so accustomed to it that it is very difficult to break the pattern.  I still have clear memories of times when I thought I couldn't get through a turn on a certain horse, that I'd run into the wall or some such thing. ... What can you do to break that pattern?  You can start by trading horses with another rider at your barn.  Get on another horse and feel if he's straight and on both reins.  Let your ... instructor ride your horse a few times.  The main thing is that you get a new feel."