Welcome to the ultimate guide on how to master one of the most rewarding skills in Minecraft! If you’ve ever looked out across the vast plains and wished for a faster way to travel, then you’re in the right place. Learning the essentials of Minecraft How To Train A Horse is a game-changer. It transforms you from a slow-walking explorer into a swift adventurer, capable of covering huge distances with ease. This guide will walk you through every step, from finding your future companion to taming, riding, and even breeding a whole new generation of trusty steeds.
Horses are not just a means of transport; they are loyal companions that can help you carry items, charge into battle, and explore the world in style. But before you can gallop off into the sunset, you need to know the basics. It’s not as simple as just jumping on and hoping for the best. You need patience, the right items, and a little bit of know-how. So, let’s saddle up and get started on your equestrian journey!
Where to Find Horses in Minecraft
Before you can train a horse, you need to find one. Fortunately, they aren’t too difficult to locate. Horses naturally spawn in herds of two to six in specific biomes. Keep your eyes peeled for them in:
- Plains: This is the most common biome to find horses. The wide-open, grassy fields make them easy to spot from a distance.
- Savannas: Similar to plains, the warm, flat grasslands of the savanna are another prime location for horse herds.
Horses come in various colors and marking patterns, including white, chestnut, black, brown, gray, and flaxen. While these differences are purely cosmetic, their stats—health, movement speed, and jump height—do vary. You might not get the fastest horse on your first try, but any horse is a great starting point.
Taming Your Wild Horse: The First Step
You’ve spotted a horse you like. Now what? The taming process in Minecraft is all about patience and persistence. It’s a test of wills between you and the horse. The key is to show it who’s boss by repeatedly mounting it until it accepts you.
Here’s a step-by-step guide to taming your first horse:
- Approach the Horse: Walk up to the horse you want to tame. Make sure you have an empty hand selected in your hotbar. Using an item might make the horse run away.
- Mount the Horse: With your empty hand, right-click (or use the secondary action button on your controller) on the horse to jump onto its back.
- Get Bucked Off: The first few times you do this, the horse will almost certainly buck you off after a few seconds. Don’t worry, this is part of the process! It won’t cause you any damage.
- Repeat, Repeat, Repeat: Keep mounting the horse immediately after it throws you off. Every time you mount it, you increase your chances of taming it.
- Look for the Hearts: You’ll know the horse is tamed when a cloud of red hearts appears around it. Once you see the hearts, the horse is yours! It will no longer buck you off.
According to equine behavior specialist Dr. Eleanor Vance, “The taming mechanic in Minecraft mirrors a real-world concept of habituation. By repeatedly and gently asserting your presence, you’re essentially showing the animal you aren’t a threat, building a foundation of trust.”
While you can tame a horse with just your bare hands and persistence, you can speed up the process by feeding it certain foods. Feeding a horse increases its “temper” and makes it more likely to be tamed on the next attempt.
- Sugar: Increases temper by 3 points.
- Wheat: Increases temper by 3 points.
- Apple: Increases temper by 3 points.
- Golden Carrot: Increases temper by 5 points.
- Golden Apple: Increases temper by 10 points.
Feeding the horse first can significantly reduce the number of times you get bucked off.
Minecraft How to Train a Horse: Saddles and Control
Taming the horse is only the first half of the battle. A tamed horse will let you sit on its back, but you won’t be able to control its movements. It will just wander around aimlessly with you as a passenger. To actually ride and control your horse, you need one crucial item: a saddle.
The Essential Saddle
Here’s the most important thing to know: you cannot craft a saddle in vanilla Minecraft. This is a common point of confusion for new players. Instead, you have to find one through exploration and looting. Look for saddles in treasure chests located in:
- Dungeons
- Nether Fortresses
- Desert Temples
- End Cities
- Jungle Temples
- Villages (in chests in the weaponsmith, armorer, or tanner houses)
You can also get a saddle by fishing, though it’s a rare catch. Once you’ve found a saddle, equipping it is easy. Mount your tamed horse and open your inventory. You’ll see a new interface for the horse. Simply place the saddle in the designated saddle slot, and you’re ready to ride!
Equipping Your Steed: Horse Armor and More
Once you have a saddle, you can control your horse completely. But what about protecting it? Your horse has its own health bar, and it can take damage from falls, mobs, and other players. That’s where horse armor comes in.
Like saddles, horse armor cannot be crafted. You must find it in the same types of loot chests. Horse armor comes in three tiers:
- Iron Horse Armor
- Gold Horse Armor
- Diamond Horse Armor
Diamond offers the best protection, but any armor is better than none, especially if you plan on taking your companion into dangerous areas. To equip it, simply open the horse’s inventory while riding it and place the armor in its dedicated slot, right next to the saddle slot.
You can also craft and use a Lead to tie your horse to a fence post. This prevents it from wandering off when you’re not riding it. To use a lead, simply right-click the horse with it, then right-click a fence post.
Riding and Controlling Your Horse
With your horse tamed and saddled, you’re finally ready to explore. The controls are intuitive and similar to walking:
- Move: Use the standard movement keys (WASD) to direct the horse.
- Jump: Press the jump key to make the horse leap. To perform a bigger jump, you need to charge it up by holding down the jump key. A bar will appear on your screen; the fuller it is when you release, the higher and farther the horse will jump. This is perfect for clearing fences, ravines, and small rivers.
- Dismount: Press the sneak key to get off your horse.
Horses are much faster than the player and can jump higher, making them the ideal mode of transport for long-distance travel and navigating tricky terrain.
Keeping Your Horse Healthy: What Do They Eat?
Your horse will take damage over time, whether from a stray skeleton arrow or an accidental fall. Thankfully, you can heal your horse by feeding it. Different foods restore different amounts of health (measured in half-hearts).
- Sugar: Heals 1 health point (❤️).
- Wheat: Heals 2 health points (❤️❤️).
- Apple: Heals 3 health points (❤️❤️❤️).
- Golden Carrot: Heals 4 health points (❤️❤️❤️❤️).
- Golden Apple: Heals 10 health points (❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️).
- Hay Bale: While you can’t feed it directly, leaving Hay Bales nearby is a great decoration. Placing one down and breaking it yields 9 wheat.
Remember that feeding a horse these items also puts them into “love mode,” which is essential for the next step: breeding.
Breeding Horses in Minecraft
Want to create a new horse with potentially better stats? You can breed any two tamed horses (or a horse and a donkey to get a mule!). Here’s how:
- Activate “Love Mode”: You need to feed two tamed horses that are close to each other either a Golden Apple or a Golden Carrot. You’ll see hearts appear above them, indicating they are ready to breed.
- Let Nature Take Its Course: The two horses will turn to face each other, and after a moment, a small foal will appear! This foal will be untamed, so you’ll have to wait for it to grow up before you can tame and ride it.
- Speed Up Growth: The foal will take about 20 minutes to mature into an adult. You can speed up this process by feeding it sugar, wheat, apples, or hay bales.
- Cool-Down Period: After breeding, the parent horses will have a five-minute cool-down before they can be bred again.
The resulting foal’s color and stats are a combination of its parents’ attributes, with a chance for a random mutation. This means that if you breed two very fast horses, you have a good chance of getting an even faster foal.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
How long does it take to tame a horse in Minecraft?
The time can vary greatly. It depends on the horse’s “temper” stat, which is random. It could take just one try or over a dozen tries. Feeding the horse treats like apples or golden carrots will significantly speed up the process.
Can you craft a saddle in Minecraft?
No, you cannot craft a saddle in the standard survival mode of Minecraft. You must find saddles in loot chests located in dungeons, temples, Nether fortresses, or villages.
What is the fastest way to train a horse?
The quickest method is to feed it a Golden Apple or Golden Carrot before you start trying to mount it. This drastically increases its temper and makes it much more likely to be tamed on the first or second attempt.
How do I heal my horse in Minecraft?
You can heal your horse by feeding it. Sugar, wheat, apples, golden carrots, and golden apples all restore its health. Golden apples provide the most significant healing effect.
Can I tie my horse up so it doesn’t wander away?
Yes! You can craft a Lead using string and a slimeball. Right-click the horse with the lead in your hand, and then right-click a fence post to tie it securely.
Conclusion
Mastering Minecraft how to train a horse opens up a whole new dimension of exploration and adventure in the game. From the thrill of finding and taming your first wild horse to breeding a lineage of superior steeds, the equestrian path is a deeply rewarding one. By following this guide, you now have all the knowledge you need to find, tame, equip, and care for your very own loyal companion. So get out there, find that perfect horse, and ride off to discover all the secrets your Minecraft world has to offer. The journey is always better with a friend by your side.
