Group jump lesson with Reese and Elena

Tonight I got to ride with Reese and Elena, which was great because it's my first group lesson in a very long while.  It was also good because I checked work email at the trailer before I tacked up, hoping I'd have some more information for John on when I would need help with Duke due to work.  There were several emails and I got so pissed off I was about to cry, and had to start the lesson breathing deep and trying to set it aside and focus on the lesson.  And it worked - probably helped being in the group - because I had to concentrate on John and where they were in the arena and trying to listen and watch what he was telling them too.
We did some flat warm up with John giving us corrections (mine was using outside rein and asking Duke to go forward, just for a few steps, so that when I use outside rein it settles him back into it - instead of slowing him down), and then we worked on the quarter line and leg yielding over to the wall, first at trot, then at canter.  Reese and Elena had to go straight before leg yielding, but Duke and I got to use the bend to help us get over to the wall.  Duke was pretty surprised by the first canter leg yield, but then John had me go a little closer to the wall instead of on the quarter line, and Duke handled it after that.
Duke was a little champ.  We did the same exercise (sort of) as last time, where we started with the 7 poles on the ground.  Maybe because Duke had seen it before, he went through them fine.  Then John made a little vertical in the middle, but this lesson, for whatever reason, I could not get the first ground pole at the correct distance.  It wasn't hard when they were all poles, just once the first vertical went up.  John said that we have to look through it and not try to get the distance to that first pole, but I would feel that it was short or long and just want to correct that distance instead of going in goofy, but it just made it worse.  Little Duker Trooper just tried to keep his shit together though, and go through it.
Then John made the far vertical, and then eventually the first vertical, and then he made the center vertical a little higher.  Duke was just a sweet little reliable boy, and cruised through.  Not exactly the same each time, but pretty damn easy to ride him through.  That let me focus on trying to get the half halt before we went in, and then keeping my legs down and chest open on the way through, although I don't know how well I did at either of those because every time I ended up just being surprised that we made it through again.
We even landed on the correct lead a couple of times, although that appeared to be dumb luck on my part or cunning on Duke's part.
Reese's horse got a little excited, and John had her go through, halt, turn around, and go back through.  He made the fences a little easier (one was just one side in the vertical, for example) and then had her trot or walk in.  Elena's horse got to do a fourth vertical, so there were three in a row that made bounces instead of one strides (I think), but we didn't get to ride through that.
The lesson made my whole day.  All the work bullshit melted away, and I was just grateful to have a life where I could be at Caber riding.  Ashley said that Duke was a cute jumper, tucking his little legs up to make sure they got over the fence.  It was easy to stay balanced on him and I could feel him fold me when we did the higher fence, which was interesting.  I did a bit of an odd crest release, more out of my shoulders than my hands, and the whole thing went better if I balanced him to the fence with my abs instead of my hands if he looked at the line and thought about speeding up.
John also had us circle a couple of times, to rebalance him using the outside rein, when he got just al little rushed, and that helped a whole lot.  But mostly, it seemed like it was sweet Duke, wanting to go through and focusing on his job.  He's a good boy and I feel lucky I found him.  I think next week is going to be hard because it is the one year anniversary of Charlie's death, and I have been getting all jumpy and anxious like the end of the world is coming, and I am guessing that is it.