Table of Contents
Who this is for: Minecraft players who want to master horse taming and riding mechanics for faster travel and exploration.
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Finding and Approaching Horses
Horses spawn naturally in plains and savanna biomes, usually in groups of 2-6. Look for these majestic creatures grazing in open areas during the day. You can also find them in villages occasionally. When you spot a horse, approach it slowly – sudden movements won’t scare it away, but you’ll want to be prepared for the taming process.
The Taming Process
Taming a horse requires patience and persistence. Here’s the step-by-step process:
- Right-click the horse with an empty hand to mount it
- The horse will likely buck you off immediately – this is normal
- Keep trying by repeatedly mounting the horse
- After several attempts (usually 3-10 tries), you’ll see heart particles appear
- Once tamed, the horse will no longer throw you off
Each horse has different temperament levels, so some may take longer to tame than others. Don’t get discouraged if it takes multiple attempts!
Speeding Up the Taming Process
While you can tame horses with just persistence, certain foods make the process much faster:
- Sugar – increases taming chance by 3%
- Wheat – increases taming chance by 3%
- Apples – increases taming chance by 3%
- Golden Carrots – increases taming chance by 5%
- Golden Apples – increases taming chance by 10%
Feed the horse by holding the food item and right-clicking. You’ll see the horse eating animation, and this significantly reduces the number of mounting attempts needed.
Riding Your Tamed Horse
Once tamed, riding is straightforward. Right-click to mount, then use standard movement controls (WASD). Horses move faster than walking and can jump higher than you can. To dismount, press the sneak key (default: Shift).
Your horse’s speed and jump height are randomly determined when it spawns. Some horses are naturally faster or can jump higher than others – you might want to test several horses to find one with stats you prefer.
Essential Horse Equipment
To get the most out of your horse, you’ll want to craft some equipment:
Saddle
While you can ride a tamed horse without a saddle, having one allows you to control the horse properly. Saddles cannot be crafted – you must find them in dungeon chests, village blacksmith chests, or trade with leatherworker villagers.
Horse Armor
Horse armor protects your mount from damage. There are four types:
- Leather horse armor (crafted with 7 leather)
- Iron horse armor (found in chests)
- Gold horse armor (found in chests)
- Diamond horse armor (found in chests)
To equip armor or a saddle, right-click the horse while holding the item, or access the horse’s inventory by right-clicking while sneaking.
Horse Care and Breeding
Horses have health points and can take damage from mobs or environmental hazards. Feed them golden apples or golden carrots to restore health. You can also breed horses by feeding two tamed horses golden apples or golden carrots – they’ll produce a foal that inherits traits from both parents.
Keep your horses safe by building stables or fenced areas. Horses can jump over single-block fences, so use two-block high barriers or keep them in enclosed spaces. If you’re ready to explore more exciting adventures in the blocky world, check out our collection of Minecraft-inspired experiences.
TL;DR
Tame horses by repeatedly mounting them until heart particles appear, then equip a saddle for full control. Feed them sugar, wheat, or golden items to speed up taming.
