Aspen highs & lows; plan to attack our nemesis, water

We had a great ride at Aspen, but a lousy dressage score.  John helped us warm up, and Duke  was quiet and obedient.  I thought the judge's comments were mostly fair (except for the one that said his lengthened trot should be his regular trot - he's an OTTB, not a damn warmblood), just low.  Once again, we were very close to the bottom of the class.
Like the spring, we show jumped on Saturday, but unlike the spring, Duke did his damndest to go clear, with just one rail, at an exceptionally poor take off (fence 7, of only 8, but 8 was an A/B/C).  He didn't hit the rails most horses did, and overall, it was a rail heavy class, it felt like.  So I was very proud of him for that.  We rode very forward - kind of aggressive - to the fences.
Cross country he was great for 18 fences.  He jumped the terrifying huge ditch at the bottom of a steep hill to a narrow, jumped the angle angle cabin after weaving through the trees, jumped the huge tables, jumped the narrow to a one stride to a down bank with huge brush on top to a corner with a hard turn in front of the shipwreck, etc.  What he did not jump, and grrrr - very frustrated - was the water.
For the first water, he cantered right in without hesitating, went right up to the fence, and then stopped with his nose on it.  I thought he was going to climb over it, but he didn't.  We circled, he cantered right in again and jumped it.  Ok.  So I thought, well, we sort of already schooled it, so I won't school the second water.  Shoulda coulda woulda.
He cantered right up to the damn kayak and then skidded to a halt, even with me whipping him.  We went left (god forbid should we cross our tracks), he trotted into it, cantered around the fences in it, and then jumped right into it like a good boy.  Did not run out (unlike May), jumped the hanging log to the C brush element, and we were off down the hill.
So almost perfect, but not quite, and what the fuck is going on with the water.  He was an absolute dreamboat to ride all the other fences - took care of me, tried his heart out ...

I'm going to try to school him at Rainbow Meadows and Donida before it gets too wet, and at EI and Spokane this fall I will school the water before we jump into it.
Next March we will school once, April school twice, and May school once.
First show we will school the water (Spokane) and then - if all of that has gone according to plan - at EI try jumping right in.  If that fails, school water the rest of the damn season.