First lesson with John & Duke

Our first lesson was with Jessica & Caruso.
We started with some flat work; John said to push him out with inside leg and to use a half halt.  He did pretty well; I had to sit taller a couple times, and his trot/canter transitions are a bit rough, but overall, I thought he did well.
We started with a little cross rail; he landed preferentially on the right lead (we were going left), but then eventually figured it out.  Then we did a little vertical, then a six stride line.  It was all smooth sailing until the six stride long, then Duke was all "yee-haw!" and went charging down the line.  I very clearly had a horrified look on my face.
But.  All I had to do was sit up and half halt him on the way to the fence - preferably about six strides out - and then wait for it, and he settled right now.  He is easy to half halt in between the fences too.
So then John had us jump two 1-stride combinations; first a plank to a vertical, then an oxer to a vertical.  I let Duke launch at them, because I didn't want to mess with his momentum, and he kind of took off on the far side.  Not in a horrible, out of control way, but definitely not in a way where I'd want to jump another fence a couple strides later.
John said to do a 10 meter or 15 meter circle or halt, but absolutely not to let him start getting away with that, because he will just get more aggressive as the fences get bigger.  I looked surprised by it, I guess, but John said that's how he looked in all the videos too.
Everyone has said that he is "compact" - sometimes before, sometimes after saying he has a cute face.
We got in and out of the trailer (and ate grass) a few times before driving down, he strolled over to meet John, was all "ho hum, here I am getting a lesson", including standing around for a while waiting, and then walked down the trail with Caruso and back, and then met Meg.  He's a pretty cool cucumber except for on the far side of the fences, so I think that is pretty awesome.
Katy and Ashley said that, unlike Charlie, I'm going to have to be careful he doesn't get too hot with all the food to try to fatten him up.
John said his conformation was ok - he is a little over at the knees and he is a bit straight on the hind end, which is going to make it hard for him to come under himself, but he said he is even thirds, even though he is small.  Katy said he was a better size for me than Charlie.
The top two things to work on are to:
- Bend him around my inside leg
- Lots of walk/trot/walk transitions
And the third:
- Keep the outside hand and half halt when necessary so he doesn't pop out through his shoulder on the circle, especially at the canter
John said I can't ruin him; he's my horse, 6 years old, and probably wasn't going to be used much by Jane.  He said Duke is lucky to have a home with me.
I like him; I got so lucky with his good personality on the ground but he's easy to ride (he's EASY to balance over the fences), and until I squish it out of him, he's nice and responsive (John said there was plenty to work on, but I couldn't even follow the list - I asked if he needed to come down for training with John and he said no, he'd make him too sensitive) to the aids, he's easy to sit and etc. etc., but he's not Charlie.  I miss Charlie so much.
He got a scratch on his right hind leg on Thursday, I saw it and cleaned it and rode him.  Friday morning he was stocked up and warm; I put him out anyway.  It was same stocked up and warm Friday night, so I didn't ride.  This morning it was less stocked up, but still a little warm.  John said bring him down anyway (he didn't look off), and we rode him and he was fine, but John said he couldn't wear a boot on that leg.  I put his soft post-ride boots on for tonight.
He stood on the side of the road and ate hay at the trailer.  He's got good manners.
John said it does look like Jane rode him up until he left; he said sometimes they don't, but that he would have called her.  He said "we'll see" when I said I planned on just going BN this year with him.
I'm proud of how we did; I've only ridden him three hours up until now (or so) - twice in Pennsylvania 6 weeks ago, and then a light ride and hack Monday, and increasing work Tuesday - Thursday.  Then he had Friday off and rode down there and worked his little heart out like a champ.  I am feeling hopeful he and I will be a good team, and I was so, so, so happy to be back taking a lesson with John.