Do you know about Kingdom Come? You should.
It’s an open world sandbox RPG set in medieval Europe with authentic, realistic melee combat in that period. Its emphasis on realism means that it also lacks, in a breath of fresh air for the genre, any fantasy trappings that western RPGs so often seem to have.
The newest video talks about horseriding in this breathtaking looking game, and it looks like it is something they are taking pretty damn seriously- although right now, their animations are all placeholder (they will have proper ones with motion capture later), they are talking about how the horse’s intelligence was designed to strike the balance between giving the player as much control as possible, but also giving the horse a self preservation instinct. Also, in a move so sensible that I am now wondering why every single other game with horses didn’t have it, horses have their own inventory slots, meaning they can carry around extra items for you. Which makes sense, since you do saddle them with… well, saddles.
The game looks amazing, and we will keep you posted on it. Stay tuned.