true Magikarp, you forgot add that in many, many maps you just cant use couch dmg...
Not a big problem. Lances shouldn't be effective on all maps. They really should require a open field.
I like Sammael's suggestion, and I agree with Makina that the current speed of horses aggregates the problem. I have my own interpretation on how horses should be defined.
#1 All horses should be moderately slower.
#2 Heirlooming a horse should increase its manueverability more, but its speed less. Additionally, a heirloomed horse should add more life and armor
#3 Lances that can poke should do significantly less damage, but have a speed more similar to a standard polearm.
#4 More polearms should have 3 or more attack directions on horseback.
#5 Couching should be done from a lower speed
#6 The Couching cooldown should be reduced.
#7 If possible, couching should be programmed for a small chance (~5%) of dropping the couch on hit. This would represent the lance being lost/stuck on impact.
#8 To go along with these changes, horses should have their price adjusted to meet their redefined power. By my estimates, it should be a ~5% to 10% decrease in price.