[Morgeruat]

OOC: The ruling she is reciting is from the paladins handbook, I can email it to you in part or in full in html/rtf/help file formats, but the relevent information is below, again if this is overpowered for her character we can/will adjust it accordingly

Improved Mount Abilities. Regardless of the species of her mount, the Equerry can improve the mount's abilities by assigning it up to half of her earned experienced points. As shown on Table 16, as the mount receives XP from the Equerry, it gains new Hit Dice. For example, assume the Equerry has received a light war horse (2 HD) as her bonded mount. The first 2,000 XP added to the horse don't affect its abilities. When the total added reaches 4,000 XP, the horse gains an additional Hit Die, becoming, in effect, a 3 HD creature.

As a bonded mount's HD increase, its abilities improve in the following ways:

• When the mount gains its first bonus die, it becomes lawful good. Its Intelligence score is also permanently boosted by +2.

• The mount fights on the Monster Attack Table as a monster equal to its Hit Dice. Table 16 reproduces this information from the Dungeon Master's Guide.

A mount can gain a total of 10 HD over its starting total, up to a maximum of 16 HD. Investing 1,000,000 XP in a light war horse raises it to a maximum of 12 HD; investing 2,000,000 XP in a griffon raises it to 16 HD. Should the mount be killed, the assigned XP are lost; note, however, that wishes and similar powerful magic can revive slain mounts.

Saving Throw Bonus. The mount makes saving throws as a fighter of a level equal to its current hit dice; that is, it uses the unmodified numbers on Table 5 in Chapter 1 of this book (a light war horse raised to 12 HD needs to roll a 7 or better to avoid the effects of paralyzation). When the Equerry rides the mount, however, the mount receives the paladin's standard +2 bonus (a mounted 12 HD war horse saves at 5 or better against paralyzation). Further, if a spell or other magical attack would affect both the mount and the Equerry, the mount automatically saves if the rider saves.