I actually really loved the horses in this game. Excluding one missing control mechanic, these are the best they've ever controlled. I love the different ones you can catch, and I love feeding them apples or carrots out of my hand. They also lend some great early-game utility, since jousting a Guardian at full speed will absolutely knock it head over heels. This also encourages use of spear-type weapons, as they tend to be rather sub-par in most other regards (low damage and relatively low durability), because their superior reach and constant critical potential makes using them from horseback feel viscerally excellent. I love how they have different personalities, stuff you can't see a stat for (like how some are much more finicky about jumping hurdles) because it rewards paying attention and experimenting with different horses. I love how you can call one over and if your timing is good you can mount it from the front ,"Legolas-style", so that it can keep running. This looks really cinematic and has been very useful for me at times.
Sometimes while I'm randomly out doing whatever, I'll come across some wild horses and tame one on a whim, then suddenly we're off on an adventure. I'll get into fights with monsters to train it for combat, get a feel for its personality. Riding circles around a Hinox to confuse it and felling it with arrows and lances feels awesome. Sometimes after a particularly enjoyable adventure, I'll even keep it and boot one of my previous horses off the roster. I also love having fun naming conventions for them. In my original file, they're all named after undead enemy types, and in my Master Mode file they're all different herbs and spices. Burdock is my favorite.
I'm probably gonna be the only person on here to say this, but after having a bit of fun with the Cycle, I've gone back to using horses.