Jumping between rain squalls

We had a great jump lesson today, and managed to only get drizzled on at the very end of the lesson.  It poured on the drive down and back.
John had us start over a cross rail, then over the vertical heading towards the barn (uphill).  From there, he had me make a right turn after going through the fences, so I had to use left rein to get Duke lined up with the fence.  Using this left (outside aid) was key to getting Duke lined up, and then it helped with the entire rest of the lesson.  Duke was gung-ho, and John had me ride him a bit more forward than I would have chosen on my own, and let the fence back him off.
After doing the vertical and oxer a few times, he made a course.  It was right hand turn to oxer, right hand turn to vertical, left hand turn to a vertical, four stride, oxer, and then after we did that a couple times, we added a triple combination (vertical, one stride, vertical, two stride, oxer) to the end.
The lesson was to change the way I rode the fences to adjust for each fence.  So the challenging right turn to the first oxer needed a lot of outside rein, but keeping him going forward.  The right hand turn to the vertical was a little uphill, so I needed to look up and keep him forward.  But then it was an open canter down a long side, and then give him a bit of a half halt but let him really go forward to make the four strides in between, and depending on how we came to the first fence, adjust what I was doing in between to make the four strides.  I flubbed it the first time but did better after John explained it.  Then to get into the combination, it was get in, one stride, then a quick half halt in between.
From there, we did a corner, first going uphill (twice), then downhill.  The first time uphill Duke thought about bobbing out to the left, but I thought he might since that it is his side he likes to go out on, so I was ready and put my left leg on and we made it over (although knocked the first rail down).  The second time was better.  He seemed to be equally surprised by it when we changed directions though, but thankfully, because he'd given me a heads up he might bulge the first way, I knew to be ready for it the second time.
John said in the warm up at the shows, use that outside rein to control his shoulders, and that should help with the rails, because he doesn't need as much adjustment on the distances as he does on not drifting left.
A jump lesson was just what I needed.  Work has been frustrating.