a pirouette and giving confidence

Deb came and watched my lesson a couple weeks ago.  The pics are from her cell phone.  This horse has been fun to learn about.  He will scitter away suddenly if he becomes distracted, which happens fairly easily.  When he is "with" me though, it's great.  I wouldn't have the opportunity to ride horses like this if it weren't for K.
 In a previous lesson on this horse, K talked me into and through a canter pirouette.  The need to sit upright became quickly apparent as the horse "sat" his hind down and we spun around  it.  If I had been sitting forward at all I would have bonked myself into the horses neck and head.  I tried to just stay out of his way and enjoy the movement.  It was really quite incredible!
During this lesson, the  horse scittered and popped his head up and my hands went up with his head.  When my hands raised, the whip raised and started a whole other spook for the horse. So the scittering of feet turned into a "I think I want to get out of here fast" sort of try to bolt. I turned the horse to the inside and immediately dropped the whip.  Things calmed down in a hurry then.  I hate carrying a whip.  I am not coordinated enough yet to let it lay on my leg with things like this happen.
 K sort of reprimanded me for these turn of events. Sort of.  I let the horse down in that moment he said.  I could have sat thru the scooting sideways, I have ridden thru it before.  I should have kept my hands low and turned inside to redirect the energy.  I over compensated and caused a bigger reaction from the horse.  (Bad rider, bad, bad rider)
;-)  The horse looks to the rider for confidence, and I let him down, he said.  Ouch.....
But he's right.  I have ridden this particular horse enough to know he "wanders" mentally and it's up to me to keep reminding the horse that I'm still "with" him.   I made a mental note to not "wander" myself again and supprt the horse more.  We then had the best canter we've ever had!  I guess that why I keep taking lessons......