High Ref Talic

I'll research the number of riders per mount issue. However, as hippogriff is specifically listed in the exotic saddle section, I feel it's safe to assume that it is capable of serving as a mount.

I am currently having difficulty accessing the SRD from work, but here are the items that need to be referenced:

Number of riders: Does anywhere specifically allow or disallow this? Does the mounted combat, handle animal, or riding description specifically reference the mount as being able to be trained to carry a single rider?

For the Hippogriff and the auto-combatant issue: While I'm not sure I agree with Bayar's interpretation, in order for the hippogriff to be treated differently than any other mount, there must be explicit text indicating that the mount should have different attack rules than a horse or mule. Otherwise, while it's being used as a mount, it must follow all rules for a mount. When it is not being mounted, unless there is a concrete way of communicating with the creature, Handle Animal checks will need to be used to command the hippogriff.