The facts... - The Sensation basic dressage with the new internal inserts in it - EDIX GP merino pad - rider is myself (approximately 5'2 and 140 lbs), horse is Uno - Walk, trot, canter, and lateral work - Top of the impression pad test pictures is front of the saddle, left panel is left side of saddle, right panel is right side of saddle.
First picture shows our set up. The impression test between the saddle and pad didn't tell me much so I'm sharing two different inlay tests instead.
The second picture is the impression pad after a ride with it between the saddle and pad with FELT inlays in the pad. You can see good weight distribution EXCEPT a pretty exact square, which appeared to line up with the movable iron hanger in multiple tests.
I decided felt wasn't enough, so third picture is results with 3 mesh on the horse's side and felt on the rider side layered in the saddle pad. That is an excellent impression pad result!
Fourth picture shows Uno's back after the ride with 3 mesh AND felt. You can see a clear spinal channel on his back.
I find this Sensation very comfortable and secure. I sat a very unexpected leap into the air in it and felt very capable of riding it through. Uno goes really nicely in it, so I might just need to keep it for him . I can see why some find it wide, you may need a bolster if you're looking for a narrow waist/twist, especially if you're on a wider horse, like Uno. I appreciate the movable iron hanger as I was able to place it EXACTLY where it felt good to me on each horse. The testing led me to substantial padding to achieve excellent weight distribution and sufficient wither and spinal clearance, and that takes away a bit from the close contact feel, but it did perform beautifully with the layered inlays.
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