Regarding the new roll, I would be in favor of some adjustments to it. In its current implementation, it's a godly-beast-ninja-move that works only if you are anticipating being knocked down (ie fighting someone who can knock you down, or getting bumped by a horse that is charging straight at you) because of the early window in the knock down animation. At the same time, if you do perform the roll, you cover more ground in half a second than a naked person running forward with 12 athletics.
My suggestion to improve the usability and balance of the roll is to make the roll slower, cover less ground, but allow the window for input to be during the middle of the knock down animation; ideally a bit later than its current window. Therefore, a horse bump from a cav behind you doesn't necessarily spell doom; with sufficient reflexes you can actually react to that. With the current window you basically have to focus all your conscious effort on spamming A or D when you see the slightest indication of your character going down to the ground.