Egin,
I finished the game yesterday as a lvl 40 gladiator. I used a one-handed axe with 2 sockets. I only discovered the dual wielding when I was on lvl 24. As from then I used a shield together with the axe. I had no major resistance anymore. So I would say compared to Diablo the axe is a good weapon.
As for horse riding, it's only usefull to flee from battle and travel AQAP to a teleporter. The horse is the first attacked and only has weak health.
