Ok- I get some want mounted combat- but I have seen an overwhelming majority have the same issue as me. I am not dexterous enough in my fingers to be directing a horse via a and d while attempting to ride and speed up. I was disappointed trying to ride my first horse to the point that I quit playing when I realized I couldn’t even set the horse myself using key bindings or control settings so that he followed the mouse (like a million other games that also have mounted combat).
No- it is NOT “more realistic” to make the horse nigh impossible to steer. I am hoping someone has made a mod or something that allows a change to this directional nightmare of horse riding- at this point, they are pretty but entirely useless as a mount. If I wanted to attack and not ride- I would a) not be playing single-player and b) not be on a horse. I wanted faster travel- not a jousting tournament.