Grid with John

Today we started with some flat work and then jumped a grid.

The grid started with ground poles, and ended with a cross rail, vertical, and 3'9" - 4' oxer, which is (I had to look it up), Intermediate (3'9") to Advanced (3'11").
I had trouble with the grid when it was poles, and then I had trouble with it again when it was huge - I kept popping out of the tack in the air.  John says I need a more secure lower leg (and about 10 other things, but he said since I can only listen to a few things at a time, for now to just focus on the secure lower leg and we'll do the others once that is fixed).
It was a "classic" John lesson - starting with the ground poles and working up to a fence so freaking humongous when I was done I had to walk over and measure it (my armpit).  He is a master at gradually building until you are doing more than you would ever have thought.
What I could not get - no matter how big the fence was, was the turn in the corner to the fence.  We would just puke down and then have to lunge forward.  The good part was how grossly obvious it was that there was a huge difference turning right and left - I could do the right turns meh, but the left turns Charlie would break into a pukey canter (and there wasn't room for me to fix it) instead of just freaking engaging his hind end.  John made us do some 8-10 meter circles to get Charlie to bend to the left and afterwards he showed me how it is "easier" for Charlie to puke canter instead of just bend. 
He said we can practice small circles but we need to make sure to practice them correctly.
Charlie jumped it like a freaking rock star - he would round his back up and actually try and we were in the air for SO LONG.  But it was also a good slice of humble pie because I was thinking I was a freaking genius who was going to go prelim next year (2016), and I just kept making the same mistake and then getting popped out of the saddle.  I couldn't keep my form most of the fences even though I knew it was coming.  We got a couple just right, which just felt divine.
John said Shannon never wanted to jump height, but that Charlie jumps much better when he tries - which is why when he slams a fence, then he respects them again for a while - and that now 3'3" will feel like a cake walk.  I like the height - with John.

We started on the flat with some bending.  The thing I'm not doing is asking him to bend with inside rein, and then using outside rein to make him round.  I need to get the proper bend, which uses inside rein and inside leg, then ask him to connect with outside rein, THEN ask him to go forward with both legs without throwing away the contact. 
It was much harder to do going left (huh, interesting - see above on the turn to the fence), because my right elbow would drift forward and not stay next to my hip.  Charlie has a harder time bending to the left, and apparently I am compensating by throwing him away.
Our transitions were pretty pukey, and while I would prefer to ride perfectly any time I am doing anything, even if it is something I have never done before, I felt a little "ah-ha" moment when John went through it step by step.  When he connected with the outside rein, I could feel his shoulders lighten - I could FEEL it, which is good.
So I can work on that before next week, and then once I have that down, go back and work on the transitions, which were a little out of my league for today.  I knew they weren't exactly right, but I couldn't feel the mistakes as well as I did on just the connection exercise.
I also need to drape my legs (my stirrups are not too long, I asked John to check) and not suck them up and nag when I'm trying to get Charlie to work harder.