Quote Originally Posted by Kommodus
The only drawback with Steppe horse is that they are quite fragile; if caught by enemy cavalry or infantry, they won't last long. I expected this for the most part; after all, they are light cavalry. During my recent war with Egypt, however, I was surprised at how soundly my Steppe cavalry were beaten by Saharan cavalry. This seemed out of line with the unit stats, so I concluded that the disappointing outcome must be due to the Saharans having more upgraded weapons, armour, and/or valour, as well as the combat effectiveness bonus given to AI troops on the hard difficulty setting.
I agree. They are fragile and can break fast if you dont pay attention to them. Thats really the part that is the annoyance for me having to watch them. I do think believe strongly that they are excellent support for Boyars, and can be excellent troops for envelopment tactics with Infantry as well.

Steppe Cavalry do the one thing well that Boyars cant, they run down enemies and archers. Boyars main weakness is thier speed, and Steppe Cavalry are the perfect compliment.

However your point is well taken, never use them (unless your desperate) for a skirmish force.