yeah, im really sad that the horse is pretty much in an unusable state ... i really love it and thats why i loomed it and i made my HA to be 18/24 quite particular for using Yumi and Eastern horse ... but using it ? no chance ... its not worth it, considering the upkeep chance for horses and the overall price and its effectiveness.
I must have lost hundreds of thausands gold while playing HA, and i think its fair in a certain way .. but having unusable items in a game is a design flaw ... it could as well be removed ..