Good gentles,

In a normal campaign where PCs start out as squires soon to be knighted, do they as squires already have mail/charger or do they start out with cuir/rouncy and only get their mail/charger when they are knighted?

I was just reading about the US Civil War's Battle of New Market (will be visiting the site this weekend), and thought "This is a much more Glorious way for squires to win their spurs than going after a bear ... but only for a party of very experienced gamers though."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_New_Market

And it would be even more of a challenge if the squires are only on rouncys ... would certainly make it clear that Pendragon combat is Serious Business.

I usually give them: leather armor, sword, shield, spear, rouncy.

So no family heirlooms, charger, chainmail, etc.

But it is obviously up to the knight that they squire for to give them what they need.

Alternatively, the squire's family. There is no real reason why a squire would need to charge into battle in substandard equipment, if better equipment is available. There is no rule that a squire couldn't wear chainmail and ride a charger. Just that in most normal cases, the family of a single manor is too poor to afford to buy an extra armor and a warhorse, and if the father is still alive, he needs his own stuff. Player character squires might be a different case: for instance it is often assumed that they come to their inheritance at the game start.

In our campaign, two squires (one PC, the other NPC) happened to be in the right place at the right time. They were with an army in Gaul, and a battle was imminent. Both had access to armor and warhorse (the PC's older brother, the player's primary PC, had made sure that the 'spare' had equipment bought cheaply from previous loot, while the NPC's father had already died years ago). Both were able and willing to fight, so their Lord granted them an opportunity to prove themselves on the field of battle. Now, what sense would it have made for him to strip them of their equipment and send them to combat in leather armor?

Of course, if the squire doesn't have better equipment, then he will simply have to make do. In another case, a largish skirmish, the PKs' side was getting swamped by a Saxon levy. One PK rode back to their+allies squires, got the squires armed with their masters' spare lances, and led the lads in a lance charge to the flank of the Saxons. That broke the Saxons and won the skirmish. Now, in that case, the squires were of different ages and the majority of them didn't have more than leather armor and a rouncy from their master. But when needs must...

So after that long-winded reply: It depends whether the squire owns better equipment (inheritance) or can get better equipment from his knight/family/lord/friends.

or alternatively,
he obtains it from whomever knights him.

Those were all very helpful. Thank you very much.

I assume therefore that in most cases (i.e. no special inheritance) the giving of the armor and charger would be part of the knighting ceremony. That would certainly be an additional element showing the importance of the station to which the squires are entering.

And Morien for squires like those you had "in the right place at the right time", being better equipped and thus better able to take on/survive opportunities, that shows the importance of family connections.

I like the depth this is adding. Thank you again.