And the (partial) answer that matters - thanks to another hour in the discord general chat - is that the horse is T6 with 0 riding requirement, 80 speed, 20 charge, and 75 manuever which makes it the fastest and most manueverable horse in the game. BUT it only has 200hp, so in order to be an effective combat mount it really needs armor. All the same, it's definitely not just cosmetic. The horse itself is nothing special to look at. Reddish brown fur.
Then again, until PvP happens, and because the dev team can still nerf it and wipe all the gold you'd earn using it, and riding skill between now and PvP, I don't see it as a major issue at this time. Enjoy Patreons.
Still no pics or hard data on the shield,
The sword looks like just about any other sword. Nothing special. Not sure on stats.