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How to tame a horse in Minecraft

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When you’re out on your own, exploring the world and far away from whatever little home you’ve created for yourself in Minecraft, there’s no better comfort than a trusted steed by your side. Nothing says experienced adventurer like a seasoned horse companion. While you can jump atop any horse you find in the game, you need to tame a wild horse in order to access some unique actions and truly call it your own.

Here’s our guide on how to tame a horse in Minecraft and how you can use them in your adventures.

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Where to find horses

A herd of wild horses in Minecraft
Mojang

Horses spawn in plains and savannas in herds of two to six. These are mostly flat, grassy areas with a few scattered trees. There are a variety of colors — white, chestnut, black, gray, brown, and flaxen chestnut — with a handful of different markings that a horse can spawn with, and herds are likely to be similar. While it’s not difficult to find a herd of horses in the world, you may have to do some hunting to find a specific color if you have a preference.

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You can also find horses in stables in generated villages if you’re up for stealing one instead of finding one in the wild.

How to tame a horse

A player riding a horse in Minecraft
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Taming a horse is quite simple — you just need to keep mounting the horse again and again until it likes you. You can mount a horse by pressing Use with an empty hand or while holding an item you wouldn’t be able to use on a horse. On your first go, the horse will likely buck you off. But keep trying! Each time the horse bucks you off, get back on. Eventually a cloud of hearts will appear over the horse, signifying that it is tamed.

While it isn’t necessary, you can increase your odds of taming a horse by feeding it sugar, apple, wheat, or golden carrots. Just hold the food in your hand and press Use to feed the horse. This uses up your food, but the horse will be slightly easier to tame.

Using a tamed horse

An armored horse in Minecraft
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Now that you’ve tamed a horse, it’s time to ride it. Find a saddle at a nearby village and equip it to your horse to ride it around the world. Horses can jump much higher and farther than your character. Hold down the jump button to charge up a bigger jump. A player can use any item while riding a horse.

You can also equip your horse with its own armor. You can craft your own horse armor, find it in certain chests in the game, or purchase it from a villager. You can’t enchant the armor like you can your own, but you can dye it.

Be careful when adventuring with your horse — that armor isn’t just for show, and it can still be damaged by enemies.

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Sam Hill
Sam Hill
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