Embarking on a new adventure in Minecraft often involves exploring vast landscapes, and what better way to traverse these worlds than on the back of a horse? Taming and riding horses in Minecraft not only adds a new dimension to gameplay but also significantly speeds up travel. This guide will walk you through everything you need to know, from finding a horse to mastering its movement.
Taming Your First Horse
The initial step to riding a horse in Minecraft is taming it. This process doesn’t require any crafted items but rather patience and interaction.
What You Need
- Saddle: This is the most crucial item for riding. Saddles cannot be crafted; they must be found in chests located in dungeons, villages, desert temples, and other generated structures.
- Horse Armor (Optional): For added protection, you can equip your horse with armor, which also cannot be crafted and must be found. Note that only horses can wear armor; donkeys and mules cannot.
- Chest (for Donkeys and Mules): While horses cannot carry chests, donkeys and mules can be equipped with them to store extra items, making them excellent pack animals. This chest is equipped by using it on the animal and cannot be retrieved without killing the animal.
The Taming Process
To tame a horse, approach it while holding nothing in your hand and right-click on it. The horse will likely buck you off initially. Continue this process, and you’ll eventually see heart particles appear around the horse, signifying it has been tamed.
To speed up the taming process, you can feed the horse certain items:
- Apples
- Wheat
- Golden Apples
- Golden Carrots
- Hay Bales
Once tamed, the horse will no longer throw you off.
Mounting and Controlling Your Horse
After successfully taming a horse, it’s time to ride.
Mounting Your Horse
To mount your horse, right-click on it. If the horse is tamed, you will get on its back. If you’ve found a saddle, you’ll need to equip it to gain control. You can do this by either mounting the horse and opening your inventory (which also displays the horse’s inventory) or by targeting the horse and opening your inventory. Drag the saddle into the designated saddle slot.
Controlling the Ride
With the saddle equipped, you can now control the horse’s movement using the standard movement keys (W, A, S, D).
- Movement: Use WASD keys to move your horse forward, backward, left, and right.
- Jumping: To make your horse jump, hold down the spacebar. The longer you hold it, the higher the horse will jump. Release the spacebar when the action bar above your hotbar is full. It’s essential to press forward simultaneously with releasing the spacebar to achieve maximum jump height. Some horses are naturally better jumpers than others, with some capable of clearing up to 5 blocks high.
- Water Navigation: Horses can only move through water that is one block deep. If you attempt to ride a horse through deeper water, you will be dismounted, and the horse may begin to drown. If this happens, use a lead to pull the horse out of the water and remount it.
Horse Attributes
Horses vary in their attributes, affecting their speed, jump height, and health. Some horses are faster but have lower jump capabilities, while others might be slower but can jump significantly higher. Experimenting with different horses can help you find one that best suits your travel needs. Health is represented by hearts, with some horses having as few as 5 hearts and others possessing up to 15 or more.
Equipping Gear
- Saddle: Essential for riding and controlling the horse.
- Horse Armor: Provides protection and can be found in various loot chests.
- Chests: Only applicable to donkeys and mules for extra storage.
Advanced Tips and Tricks
- Saving Food: Traveling by horse consumes less hunger than walking or sprinting. This allows you to conserve your food supplies during long journeys.
- Finding Horses: Horses spawn in various biomes, often found in groups. Look for them in plains and savannas.
- Breeding Horses: Two tamed horses can be bred using golden apples or golden carrots to produce a foal, which inherits traits from its parents.
Riding a horse in Minecraft transforms exploration into a more efficient and enjoyable experience. By understanding the taming process, mastering controls, and utilizing the various gear options, you’ll be traversing your Minecraft world like a seasoned equestrian in no time.
