Ha ha. Yea, that experience at the end there was very similar to one I had. But I kind of enjoyed it, because it caused me to try new things.
The horse thing gets better. You can build your relationship with the horse and extend the area it'll respond to you.
I think you can hold down the button to sprint too? Or it lets you keep up with someone your following, I think. It didn't bother me too much. I wasn't running all the time anyway.
The game is defintely styled more like a simulation game. You have to learn how to do things and overcome hassles like all your important gear being on your horse. Of course, the lesson is, never leave your horse. What cowboy lets himself get separeated from his beloved horse? Ha ha.
My one issue is that, after the opening segments, I kind of lost track of the story because I couldn't readily see what to do next. And there is so much to explore and try, I basically forgot about the story as soon as they stopped holding my hand.
