T-rex Arms - Riding with Whip Behind my Back

I had my first lesson in my new saddle today, and was excited to get my trainer's feedback on whether the improvements I felt where real or just in my head.

Cupid was very lazy to start.  I tried getting a good walk going while we were warming up, and he would respond but then quickly taper off a bit.  I was even worried that maybe Cupid didn't like the saddle!  But as we kept going I could feel him start stepping under himself.

My trainer confirmed that I was indeed sitting up much straighter in this saddle.  Yay!  But my arms and hands still need work.  So we revisited what I call the t-rex exercise; riding with the whip behind my back, in front of my elbows.  I need to be careful because it does tip me forward a little, but it is pretty much the only way I actually bend my elbows!  While I'm doing it it doesn't feel unnatural, but as soon as I remove the whip my elbows go straight again. :/  It also helps me with some of my other bad habits, like pumping with my arms/upper body, pulling the inside rein, and doing weird things like lifting my hands when I ask for the canter.  But it does make it hard to keep a steady contact, or shorten the reins when I inevitably let my hands open and the reins start to slip.

We did a lot of transitions between trot and canter, on a 20 meter circle.  It is still definitely a work in progress, but we had a few decent ones.

If you want to try T-rex arms, I recommend wearing a long sleeved shirt, as I usually get some abrasions on my elbows from the whip!  (Unless you have a smooth whip, mine is woven nylon.  Or maybe I'm just very unsteady??)