Things that counter HA.
1. Teamwork
2. Other HA
3. Light cav
4. Archers
5. Xbow
6. Situational awareness
7. Having a shield
I don't know what EU servers are like, but we have some highly skilled HA on NA1. However, whenever I play archer my teammates and I make it a priority to "bring them down." Rarely do they see the end of the round, and if they do? Guess what, devs already nerfed HA's ability to delay earlier this year by speeding up flag spawn times.
I realize it sucks fighting against some classes. Sometimes you're on a roll and some bullshit thrower, hoplite, crushthrough weapon, bumpslash, hiltslash, bullshit kills you and you get angry. "This is unjust!" You think. "He killed me so easily, and I'd been fighting so manfully and skillfully."
But to me, this is all part of the masochistically fun learning experience that is C-RPG. The fun of it, for me, isn't trolling the forums demanding a nerf to this or that, but in thinking up new and creative ways to overcome the various challenges the game has to offer. In doing so, you become stronger, smarter, more flexible, and better at communicating w/ your comrades.
That being said, sometimes a nerf is absolutely necessary, but I would consider the faster flag spawning and increased riding difficulties to be sufficient for now.