disengaging cavalry...

[Caerfanan]

Yes, and it depends a bit of the unit. I Remember being mad at a Turcoman horses unit because they were "touched" by a melee unit whil manoeuvering. Improssible to run, they were "stuck"... Until the last horse in melee fell. 15 seconds lost...

But on another hand, I think it's normal not to be able of runnig freely when someone swings an axe in front of you. Have you ever tried to turn your back on someone fighting you? when you're engaged, you have to do something to disengage: feint, hit&run...