Hi All: Dana Johnsen has said many , many times to all of us dealers that it is not a good idea to ride free swing for any length of time because of the decreased ability to spread the weight of the stirrups & the rider. Hard use OR endurance leathers is the way the saddle was best designed according to Dana in order to maximize comfort for the horse. For those who choose to ride free swing in the Sensation, Dana has told me more times than I would like to count that you do so at your horse's risk. As more people are using the Sensations for longer periods of time or jumping, Dana has had reports of issues developing under the butterfly using free swing for longer ride times/frequent riding on the same horse.
As Karen Thomas mentioned, a lot is dependant on the rider biomechanics. I'm sure it is possible for those of you riding shorter/infrequent times on different horses, with good rider balance to be ok, but those are a lot of variables. Why tempt fate when Dana has done extensive testing on the way it was designed to be used. I'm sure Melissa or Dana would be happy to explain to those want further info on this. Call her direct in Canada on this subject. Kaaren
