Yeah, I'm regretting it now. I have a spare, but I know the missus will probably want to play something and I'll have some explaining to do. Looks like a trip to the shops will be necessary. £30 down the drain.
I busted it onto the floor like an axe. :D To be fair, it held together reasonably well, but at least half of the fixing points were shattered. It's probably the second, possibly third controller I've smashed in about 10 years (the other two were PS2 pads). Funnily enough, I think I smashed those playing other Rockstar games - GTA: Vice City/San Andreas. The horse breaking is actually easy if you stick to a few simple rules, but I was getting frustrated and not paying attention.
FYI: Ignore Marston's legs, arms or anything that the guides tell you - in fact, ignore him and the horse completely. It's impossible to clearly see which direction Marston's leaning and because the camera switches so rapidly, you'll never be clear about what direction you're supposed to be pushing in.
You want to pay attention to the camera. As soon as the camera pans in one direction, push the left directional stick in the opposite direction - only ever left or right. Essentially, you're trying to keep the camera centred. That's what's (usually) worked for me... and it's got me the three prime horses and through the bulk of the irritating horse breaking missions.