well 5 ath is standard for a level 30 ground shielder which should make you far more op than you curreny are but the fact is you re weak as a peasant on the ground
apart from that lets take a look at pros and cons of the hardest class ever;
pros:
more damage than decent two handera or polearmers with the apeed bonus
bumpslash , which is not counterable, high damaging and unstoppable ( none of the classes apart from 1h cav has such a move)
a shield which prtects you from projectiles and some unlucky melee hits
horse bump damage (which is an important factor)
horse bumps instant knockdown or at least disturb the attack
cavalry swords are actually the best ones on ground aswell
your weapon and shield are 1 slot which lets you get 1 sidearm atleast
you can get heavy armor because u re on hb so you dont get effectrd on speed
you re mobile, you can scout and/or retreat easily
cons:
enormous amount of repairs (which is not a problen for dedicated cavs. you get valour every round and linger around with x5 for hours )
why do you keep insisting you re playing hard mode?
sorry for shitty mobile written post