Horse

Overview

Two horses from the same herd can be completely different animals, and that is the point of the Horse. Health rolls between 15 and 30, movement speed and jump strength roll independently, so one animal might clear a two-block fence at a sprint while another struggles over a slab. A good Horse is still the fastest reliable overland travel in Minecraft, comfortably beating a sprinting player and able to carry you across terrain that would cost minutes on foot. Taming is the old ritual: mount it, get thrown, mount it again until hearts appear, which is faster if you feed it golden carrots or golden apples first. After that it needs a saddle, and unlike a Donkey it can wear horse armour — leather, iron, gold or diamond — which is worth fitting before any journey through hostile country. Breeding is where the real gains are. A foal's stats average both parents plus a third random roll, so pairing your best two repeatedly converges on a Horse noticeably better than anything wild. Herds of two to six spawn in plains, sunflower plains, meadows and the savanna biomes at light level 9 or above. A horse cannot swim well and drowns if you ride it into deep water.

Fast overland travel and a movable platform in a fight. A well-bred Horse outruns sprinting by a wide margin, jumps fences, and can wear horse armour that a donkey or mule cannot.

A good horse is still the fastest reliable overland travel in the game, outrunning sprinting by a wide margin and jumping fences with the right stats. Tame it by mounting repeatedly until hearts appear, then equip a saddle and horse armour, which a horse can wear but a donkey cannot. Breeding two horses with golden carrots or golden apples produces a foal whose stats average the parents plus a random third roll, so selective breeding works.

Horse sits under Tameable mobs in Minecraft 1.21.4. Health sits at 30 points (15 hearts). Killing one drops 3 experience.

Properties

Horse has 30 health, which is 15 hearts. It drops up to 3 experience when a player kills it. Its hitbox is 1.4 blocks wide and 1.6 tall, which is what decides whether it fits through a gap or a one-block-high opening.

Added in: 1.6.1
Tameable: Yes
Breedable: Yes

Spawns in

Herds of two to six spawn in plains and savannas. Each horse rolls health between 15 and 30, movement speed, and jump strength independently, so individuals vary enormously.

It is restricted to Plains, Sunflower Plains, Meadow, Savanna, Savanna Plateau and 1 more, so it will never turn up outside those biomes however dark it gets.

Dimension: Overworld
Light level: ≥ 9
Biomes: Plains, Sunflower Plains, Meadow, Savanna, Savanna Plateau, Windswept Savanna
Added in: 1.6.1

Dimension: Overworld · Added in 1.6.1

Drops

Killing Horse drops Leather, plus up to 3 experience. Looting raises the maximum on most of these by one per level.

Leather: 0–2

How it behaves

The Horse can be tamed, after which it follows and defends you. A tamed one still takes damage, so it is worth naming so it never despawns.

Killed by a player it drops up to 3 experience; killed any other way it drops none.

Command

In a world with cheats on, this spawns one Horse where you are standing.

Summon

/summon minecraft:horse ~ ~ ~

Guides and tools that cover this

Frequently asked questions

How do you tame a Horse?

Mount it repeatedly until hearts appear. Feeding golden carrots or golden apples beforehand speeds it up considerably.

How much health does a Horse have?

Between 15 and 30, rolled individually. Speed and jump strength are rolled separately, so no two are alike.

Can a Horse wear armour?

Yes — leather, iron, gold or diamond horse armour. Donkeys and mules cannot wear any.

What do horses eat?

Golden carrots and golden apples for breeding; hay bales, wheat, sugar and apples all heal or speed taming.

How much health does the Horse have in Minecraft?

The Horse has 30 health points, which is 15 hearts.

What does the Horse drop?

It drops Leather, plus 3 experience when killed by a player.

Where does the Horse spawn?