[DnD3.5e]How does the mount charge work?

[Quintaine]

My friends and I are confused about the mount charge. There are two main questions. First, what action does the rider need to do for a mount charge. Second, whether a mount charge is considered a charge and benefits from charging related abilities, such as Pounce, Rhino’s Rush，etc.
Following are the rules for mount charge.

“If your mount charges, you also take the AC penalty associated with a charge. If you make an attack at the end of the charge, you receive the bonus gained from the charge. When charging on horseback, you deal double damage with a lance (see Charge, page 154).”(PHB 157)
“Lances and Charge Attacks: A lance deals double damage if employed by a mounted character in a charge.”(PHB 154)
“If your mount charges, you also take the AC penalty associated with a charge. If you make an attack at the end of the charge, you receive the bonus gained from the charge.”(RC 89)

According to the second sentence of First paragraph, it seems whatever action rider uses to make an attack, he can make a mount charge. But the third sentence links to charge action, but designers never said rider need make a charge action for mount charge. I’m really confused about that.
By the way, the Spirited Charge feat said “When mounted and using the charge action, you deal double damage with a melee weapon (or triple damage with a lance).” And the Halfling Outrider’s 8th level ability: “Full Mounted Attack (Ex): At 8th level and higher, a hal-fling outrider may make a full attack when her mount moves more than 5 feet but no more than a single move action. The character cannot combine this full attack with a charge action” They are seems to suggest rider need to make a charge action to mount charge.
I wonder if there a clear description can answer my questions. And if the rider can use charging related abilities during mount charge, it seems a very powerful build because of the multiplicity damage.

[ketaro]

The action required to Charge is a Fullround Action.

The player does not spend a Fullround Action to Charge.

The mount for the player has its own actions and it spends the Fullround Action to Charge.

The player uses their own Standard Action to Attack at the end of the mount's Charge.

The player also, under normal Mounted Combat rules, can not make a full attack action if the mount moves more than 5ft on their turn.

Stuff like Spirited Charge were not made by the same writers that wrote the Mounted Combat rules so there will be discrepancies.

For reference:
https://www.d20srd.org/srd/combat/specialAttacks.htm#mountedCombat

[Quintaine]

The action required to Charge is a Fullround Action.

The player does not spend a Fullround Action to Charge.

The mount for the player has its own actions and it spends the Fullround Action to Charge.

The player uses their own Standard Action to Attack at the end of the mount's Charge.

The player also, under normal Mounted Combat rules, can not make a full attack action if the mount moves more than 5ft on their turn.

Stuff like Spirited Charge were not made by the same writers that wrote the Mounted Combat rules so there will be discrepancies.

For reference:
https://www.d20srd.org/srd/combat/specialAttacks.htm#mountedCombat

That means, we should ignore the charge action requirment of "Spirited Charge", right?
And I think no rules said player must use "Standard Action" to attack, Can he use a Swift action attack to mount charge?

[ketaro]

Spirited Charge does not have any action needed to use. It states that it is in effect while doing something else, i.e. charging. If you are not charging, Spirited Charge turns off; if you are charging, Spirited Charge turns on. Thats it.

Classically attacks are made with Standard Actions. If, by some whatever, you have an attack that only uses a Swift Action, then sure. But you are still limited to the mounted combat rule that states "if your mount moves more than 5 feet you can only make a single attack".

So no matter what action you use to attack, if your mount moves more than 5 feet on its turn, you only get 1 attack.