Falls under, "ask your GM but assume no."
A cavalier gains the service of a loyal and trusty steed to carry him into battle. This mount functions as a druid’s animal companion, using the cavalier’s level as his effective druid level. The creature must be one that he is capable of riding and is suitable as a mount. A Medium cavalier can select a camel or a horse. A Small cavalier can select a pony or wolf, but can also select a boar or a dog if he is at least 4th level. The GM might approve other animals as suitable mounts.
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The Beast Rider cavalier archetype from Ultimate Combat gets an expanded selection of mounts but must wait until a higher level to choose one. You might conclude from this that the designers don't intend the standard cavalier to get the same benefit earlier.
However, the rule allows GM discretion, which the GM might particularly want to apply if he doesn't use Ultimate Combat.
You should probably assume in any case that "one that he is capable of riding and is suitable as a mount" means a creature at least one size larger than him and strong enough to carry his weight and his gear.
I will be honest, I never liked the beast rider archetype. Before it came out, I read (as did the people I play with) that the cavalier could take any of the druid animal companions as long as they were big enough ("The creature must be one that he is capable of riding and is suitable as a mount")as long as they were willing to pony up for the exotic saddle. So a Medium cavalier would have to wait just as the beast rider for level 7 before they could use Lions.
The Beast Rider cavalier archetype from Ultimate Combat gets an expanded selection of mounts but must wait until a higher level to choose one. You might conclude from this that the designers don't intend the standard cavalier to get the same benefit earlier.
However, the rule allows GM discretion, which the GM might particularly want to apply if he doesn't use Ultimate Combat.
You should probably assume in any case that "one that he is capable of riding and is suitable as a mount" means a creature at least one size larger than him and strong enough to carry his weight and his gear.
Except he can't take one with a fly speed.
As to the OP's question it's an "ask a GM thing" by RAW.
That being said there are ways to get a roc as a mount via leadership.
Cavalier list
A Medium cavalier can select a camel or a horse. A Small cavalier can select a pony or wolf, but can also select a boar or a dog if he is at least 4th level. The GM might approve other animals as suitable mounts.
Can u take a lvl in druid or ranger.. they gain roc as an animal compqinion
yes, but the levels may or may not stack:
http://paizo.com/paizo/faq/v5748nruor1fn#v5748eaic9qqn
Or would it be simpler to just add an airborn template (+1 Challenge Rating) to a regular horse?
An airborn template. What is that?
There's no method to get a roc as your cavalier mount save DM fiat ("Yes, ignore that restriction"). There's a feat that lets you take a griffon or hippogriff mount, but it explicitly states they cannot fly while carrying a rider. The upgrade feats allows them to fly, but only at half speed - which then begs the question why the heck you're paying two feats for your mount to only fly at half speed. Much better to simply pay one feat for leadership, and get either a flying cohort (using your cavalier mount as a mere pack mule) or a spellcasting cohort who can cast fly on your horse.
If the options above won't do, ask your DM if you can make up something equivalent to the sable company marine feat but apply it to a roc rather than a hippogriff.
The beast rider (feat, not archetype) allows some new options for orc and half-orc characters with animal companions/mounts.
One of those is a pteranodon.