Minecraft offers players endless ways to explore and interact with its vibrant world. One of the most exciting modes of transportation in the game is riding a horse, not only does it allow you to travel faster, but it also adds a touch of adventure to your journeys. In this guide, I’ll walk you through everything you need to know about taming and riding a horse in Minecraft.
Step 1: Find a Horse
Before you can ride a horse, you’ll need to find a horse first. Horses naturally spawn in plains and savannas biomes. They usually roam in herds of 2 to 6, so you’ll have plenty of options to choose from. If you’re aiming for style, keep an eye out for different colors and patterns, there are over 30 different color and marking combinations!
Step 2: Tame the Horse
Taming a horse is the first step toward riding it. If you have sugar, wheat, bread, apples, or golden carrots, you can feed the horse to tame it faster. Feed the horse by pointing to the horse and holding on the "Eating" button (The right mouse button on PC).
But don't worry if you don't have those food, you still can tame the horse easily by following the steps below:
- Approach the Horse: Make sure you’re not holding anything in your hands, and point to the horse.
- Mount the Horse: Right-click the horse if you play on PC; or use the “Mount” button (LT on Xbox or L2 on PlayStation) if you play on console.
- Stay On: The horse will throw you off. Don’t worry, as this is normal. Keep mounting the horse until hearts appear above its head, indicating it has been tamed and will not throw you off again.
Usually you need to mount the horse for about 5 times to tame it, but if you feed it one of the foods mentioned earlier before mounting it, you will only be thrown off once or twice, sometimes not at all, the hearts appear immediately as soon as you mounted on it. Some foods are very easy to obtain, for example, wheat can be obtained from farms in villages. If you don't know where to find a village, read this article. You can also plant seeds and wait for the wheat to grow.
Step 3: Get a Saddle
Now you have mounted on the horse, but you still can't control it to go where you want it to go yet, you’ll need a saddle to control your horse. Saddles cannot be crafted in Minecraft, so you’ll have to find one. Here are the best ways to obtain a saddle:
- Fishing: Saddles can be caught as treasure while fishing.
- Loot Chests: Found in dungeons, villages (specifically in tannery chests), desert temples, nether fortresses, bastions.
- Villager Trades: Leatherworker villagers at the Journeyman level sell saddles in exchange for emeralds.
Step 4: Equip the Saddle and Ride
Once you have a saddle, follow these steps to start riding:
- Equip the Saddle: Mount the horse and open its inventory (Press E on PC or your device's equivalent). Then drag the saddle into the saddle slot, as shown in the screenshots below.
- Ride the Horse: Use your movement keys or controls to direct the horse. To jump, hold the jump button and release it for a powerful leap over obstacles. As you start to hold down the jump button, the bar under your health bar will start to fill up, you should release the button before the bar depletes. To dismount, use the “Sneak” button (Press the left Shift key on PC or your device's equivalent).
Bonus: Add Horse Armor
If you want to protect your horse, you can equip it with horse armor. This comes in leather, iron, gold, and diamond varieties. Like saddles, horse armor is found in loot chests. Simply place it in the horse’s inventory to equip it, like how you equip it with the saddle.
Conclusion
Now that you know how to ride a horse in Minecraft, you’re ready to gallop across the landscapes and explore the world like never before. Whether you’re new to the game or a seasoned player, taming and riding a horse is an adventure worth trying. Saddle up, and let the journey begin!
