I think people are mixing up the jobs the different units and are trying to use heavy calvary in a way that it cannot realistically be used. This is probably because all the other TW games, the charging wasn't realistic, but now it is. I think a LOT of people are trying to use heavy calvary like light calvary.

Heavy Calvary - Shock troops well suited to destroying STATIONARY groups of infantry. Effective in a STRAIT line. Horses bear well over 100kg in weight from armor and rider and such are bread to be huge, stronge, and tough. They are not bread for speed because chasing infantry IS NOT their intended purpose. Lining up, and charging at full speed in a strait line to annihilate stationary or less mobile infantry is however.

Light Calvary - Lightly armored horses and riders. Meant and bread for speed, and traveling stamina. Their low armor (both in protection and weight) make them ill-suited for charging directly into stationary infantry. They are much faster, far more mobile and flexible then heavy calvary and this makes them perfect for; chasing down routing infantry, harassing skirmishers, harassing horse archers, harassing engaged infantry from their flank (with the punch method, not prolonged combat).

You have to use your units right! They are not the same and cannot be used as suc

Expecting your heavy calvary to just march around the field the whole battle at full speed charging over everything in their path is not realistic or logical, it's an arcade style of play. M2:TW is getting more into a simulation aspect of the the battles and away from the point-n-click god mode heavy calvary. You actually have to strategically place your calvary units so they can get a clear strait charge at their target. It's difficult to do effectively, but when you do it annihilates the target. This is how it worked in RL battle and this is now how it works in M2: TW and it's a LOT better. Buggy? yes. But is the mechanic for charging fundamentally bugged and flawed, no. It's the next step in bringing realism into the battle simulation.

I honestly hope they add arcade style calvary into the game as an option in the patch, but I sure won't use it.