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Horse

Horse

A horse is a passive mob that can be ridden when tamed and saddled, and can wear horse armor. Different horses have different running speeds, jump…

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Entities Animal mobs Passive mobs Transport Tameable mobs
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Contents (42)
  1. Spawning
  2. Appearance
  3. Drops
  4. Breeding
  5. On death
  6. Behavior
  7. Taming
  8. Breeding
  9. Food
  10. Jockey
  11. Statistics
  12. Spawned values
  13. Bred values
  14. Usage
  15. Equipment
  16. Riding
  17. Sounds
  18. Adult
  19. Foal
  20. Data values
  21. ID
  22. Entity data
  23. Achievements
  24. Advancements
  25. History
  26. Development
  27. Java Edition
  28. Bedrock Edition
  29. Legacy Console Edition
  30. New Nintendo 3DS Edition
  31. Data history
  32. Issues
  33. Gallery
  34. Renders
  35. Mojang images
  36. Development images
  37. Screenshots
  38. Textures
  39. In other media
  40. See also
  41. References
  42. External links
For other uses, see Horse (disambiguation).
Horse
White Horse.png: Infobox image for Minecraft entity 'Horse'

Adult in Java Edition

White Horse BE3.png: Infobox image for Minecraft entity 'Horse'

Adult in Bedrock Edition

Baby White Horse JE5.png: Infobox image for Minecraft entity 'Horse'

Foal

White Horse (Saddle).png: Infobox image for Minecraft entity 'Horse'

Adult in Java Edition

White Horse (Saddle) BE3.png: Infobox image for Minecraft entity 'Horse'

Adult in Bedrock Edition

Black Horse (Iron Armor).png: Infobox image for Minecraft entity 'Horse'
Chestnut Horse (Saddle and Iron Armor).png: Infobox image for Minecraft entity 'Horse'
Invicon Horse Spawn Egg.png: Inventory sprite for Horse Spawn Egg in Minecraft as shown in-game with description: Horse Spawn Egg
Health points 15HP❤️ × 7.5 to 30HP❤️ × 15
Armor points 0 (🛡)

See horse armor

Behavior Passive
Mob type Animal
Hitbox size In Java Edition:

Adult:
Height: 1.6 blocks
Width: 1.3965 blocks
Foal:
Height: 1.12 blocks
Width: 0.9775 blocks
In Bedrock Edition:
Adult:
Height: 1.6 blocks
Width: 1.4 blocks
Adult grown up from a baby:[1][2]​[until: BE 26.60]
Height: 1 block
Width: 1 block
Foal:
Height: 1.12 blocks
Width: 0.98 blocks

Spawn Plains
Sunflower Plains
Savanna
Savanna Plateau
Windswept Savanna
Villages
Usable items

A horse is a passive mob that can be ridden when tamed and saddled, and can wear horse armor. Different horses have different running speeds, jump heights, and health points, and these attributes can be inherited and improved through breeding.

Spawning

Naturally spawned horse herd. Notice the same color but different markings.

Horses spawn in plains and savannas in herds of 2–6. For horses, all combinations of color and markings are equally likely. All members of the herd have the same color, but markings may vary. 20% of all individual horses spawn as babies. In Java Edition, all individual horses spawn as adults when using spawn eggs.[3]

Villages naturally generate with stables and animal pens containing horses.

Horse spawns in:
Category: CreatureJava EditionBedrock Edition
Spawn areaSpawn weightSpawn chanceGroup sizeSpawn weightGroup size
Plains5⁄4610.87%2–642–6
Sunflower Plains5⁄4610.87%2–642–6
Windswept Savanna1⁄521.92%2–612–6
Savanna1⁄521.92%2–612–6
Savanna Plateau1⁄681.47%2–612–6

Appearance

All 35 colorations of horses. Base colors, from left to right: white, creamy, chestnut, brown, black, gray, and dark brown. Markings, from bottom to top: none, white stockings and blaze, white field, white spots, and black dots.

Each horse variant has unique features and markings, and a foal. Adult horses are 1.4 blocks wide and long, and 1.6 blocks high. Foals start at 7⁄10 the size of adults. Unlike wolves and cats, horses do not change appearance once they have been tamed, although tamed horses may be differentiated by giving them equipment.

Horses can have 1 of 7 base colors: white, creamy, chestnut, brown, black, gray, and dark brown; and 1 of 5 marking patterns: no markings, white stockings and blaze, white field, white spots and black dots. In total, there are 35 possible horse coat combinations.

Horse colors and markings
Markings
(identifier)
Colors
White
white
Creamy
creamy
Chestnut
chestnut
Brown
brown
Black
black
Gray
gray
Dark brown
darkbrown
None
White stockings and blaze

white

White field

whitefield

White spots

whitedots

Black dots

blackdots

Drops

Breeding

1–7XP upon successful breeding.

On death

Java Edition:

ItemQuantity / Chance / Average
DefaultLooting ILooting IILooting III
Leather0–266.67%1.000–383.33%1.500–491.67%2.000–594.44%2.50
ItemQuantity / Chance / Average
DefaultLooting ILooting IILooting III
Leather0–22⁄310–35⁄63⁄20–411⁄1220–517⁄185⁄2
ItemAmountProbability
DefaultLooting ILooting IILooting III
Leather01⁄3 (33.33%)1⁄6 (16.67%)1⁄12 (8.33%)1⁄18 (5.56%)
11⁄3 (33.33%)1⁄3 (33.33%)1⁄4 (25.00%)1⁄6 (16.67%)
21⁄3 (33.33%)1⁄3 (33.33%)1⁄3 (33.33%)5⁄18 (27.78%)
301⁄6 (16.67%)1⁄4 (25.00%)5⁄18 (27.78%)
4001⁄12 (8.33%)1⁄6 (16.67%)
50001⁄18 (5.56%)
Average1 (1.00)3⁄2 (1.50)2 (2.00)5⁄2 (2.50)
Killed1
ItemExpected Drops
DefaultLooting ILooting IILooting III
Leather1.001.502.002.50

Bedrock Edition:

ItemQuantity / Chance / Average
DefaultLooting ILooting IILooting III
Leather0–266.67%1.000–366.67%1.330–466.67%1.670–566.67%2.00
ItemQuantity / Chance / Average
DefaultLooting ILooting IILooting III
Leather0–22⁄310–32⁄34⁄30–42⁄35⁄30–52⁄32
ItemAmountProbability
DefaultLooting ILooting IILooting III
Leather01⁄3 (33.33%)1⁄3 (33.33%)1⁄3 (33.33%)1⁄3 (33.33%)
11⁄3 (33.33%)1⁄6 (16.67%)1⁄12 (8.33%)1⁄18 (5.56%)
21⁄3 (33.33%)1⁄3 (33.33%)1⁄4 (25.00%)1⁄6 (16.67%)
301⁄6 (16.67%)1⁄4 (25.00%)2⁄9 (22.22%)
4001⁄12 (8.33%)1⁄6 (16.67%)
50001⁄18 (5.56%)
Average1 (1.00)4⁄3 (1.33)5⁄3 (1.67)2 (2.00)
Killed1
ItemExpected Drops
DefaultLooting ILooting IILooting III
Leather1.001.331.672.00
  • 1–3XP exp. when killed by a player or tamed wolf.
  • Horse armor if the horse was already equipped
  • Saddle if the horse was already equipped.

Killing a foal yields neither items nor experience.

Behavior

A horse eating grass.
A horse rearing.

Horses wander aimlessly, occasionally stopping to rear, flick their tails, or lower their heads as though eating the grass. Unlike sheep, the eating animation does not actually cause any grass to be consumed. If a player comes near, the horses may turn to look at them. Any horse, even a wild or undead horse, can be attached to a lead without protest. Horses remain passive, even when hit.

Horses make neighing and whinnying sounds.

Baby horses can ride in boats, but adults cannot unless commands are used to put them there. If a baby horse in a boat grows up in Java Edition, it dismounts, but in Bedrock Edition, it remains in the boat. Horses can only ride in minecarts in Bedrock Edition.

Horses can safely fall 7 blocks before they begin to accumulate fall damage, unlike most mobs, which can only safely fall 3 blocks. Horses also take half of the normal fall damage (rounded down) that most other mobs take (0.5HP❤️ × 0.25 damage per block over the safe distance instead of 1HP💔). If an entity is riding a horse, they take fall damage as normal, counting from the entity's safe fall distance; however, they also safely fall 7 blocks without taking damage.

Horses have a 1⁄900 chance to regenerate 1HP💔 health point each game tick.

Horses can be led by a player holding a golden carrot, golden apple, or enchanted golden apple. Foals follow adult horses.

A horse with a rider can be pulled by a lead, and can even be lifted into the air.

Taming

Taming a horse is required to breed it, to give it equipment, or to control it while riding.

In Java Edition, a player mounts a horse by pressing use on it with an empty hand. In Bedrock Edition, the player can also hold an object that cannot be used on a horse. An adult horse can be tamed by repeatedly mounting it until the horse stops bucking the player off. Taming depends on the horse's "temper". Horses begin with a temper of 0 out of 100. When a player first mounts the horse, a random taming threshold 0–99 is chosen. The horse becomes tame if the temper exceeds this threshold. Otherwise, the player is bucked off and the temper is increased by 5, to be compared against the threshold the next time the player mounts the horse. Temper can also be increased by feeding the horse.

After repeated mountings, hearts appear above the horse, indicating that it is tamed.

In Bedrock Edition, like all tame animals, a death message is displayed to every player when a horse is killed.

Breeding

Feeding two tamed horses golden apples or golden carrots activates love mode, causing them to mate and produce a foal. The foal appears more spindly than adult horses. The foal can be fed to make it mature faster.

Depending on the variations of the parent horses, the offspring can be one of several types.

  • Bred with a horse: breeding two horses produces a foal. Usually, the new foal has the color and markings of one of its parents, although there is a 13⁄45 chance of having a random color/markings (which may still end up being the same as one of the parents).
  • Bred with a donkey: cross-breeding a horse with a donkey creates a baby mule. Mules cannot breed. This unlocks the Artificial Selection achievement.‌[Bedrock Edition only]

This is a table representing the probabilities of the color and markings of the foal when breeding two horses A and B.

Color of A Color of B Random color Total
Markings of A 17.78% 17.78% 4.44% 40%
Markings of B 17.78% 17.78% 4.44% 40%
Random markings 8.89% 8.89% 2.22% 20%
Total 44.44% 44.44% 11.11%

Food

Feeding a horse food can alter its behavior, increase its temper (if untamed), cause it to grow (if it is not yet an adult; foals normally take 20 minutes to fully mature if not fed), and/or restore its health.

Only living horses can be fed. Undead variants like zombie and skeleton horses cannot be fed.

The table below lists the effects of the various foods horses can eat.

To feed a horse, hold a valid food item and press use on the horse.

Food Heals Speeds growth by Increases temper Notes
Sugar 1HP💔 30 sec (600 ticks) +3
Wheat 2HP❤️ 20 sec (400 ticks) +3
Apple 3HP💔❤️ 1 min (1200 ticks) +3
Carrot
Golden carrot 4HP❤️❤️ 1 min (1200 ticks) +5 Activates love mode in tamed horses.
Golden apple 10HP❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ 4 min (4800 ticks) +10 Activates love mode in tamed horses.
Enchanted golden apple
Hay bale 20HP❤️ × 10 3 min (3600 ticks) N/A In Bedrock Edition, untamed adult horses with full health cannot be fed.

In Java Edition, tamed horses cannot be fed when at full health, but they can be fed in Bedrock Edition.

In Bedrock Edition, the health of foals cannot be restored by feeding.

In Bedrock Edition, while temper is at max value, untamed horses with full health can be fed any food except hay bales.

In Java Edition, tamed horses with full health cannot be mounted while holding a food item.

Jockey

This feature is exclusive to Bedrock Edition.
A white horse ridden by a baby zombie

15% of nearby baby zombies, husks, or drowned may ride an adult untamed horse to form a jockey.

Statistics

All horses have three "equine stats" that vary from horse to horse: health, (maximum) movement speed, and jump height. These stats are created once the horse is born or spawned, and are not affected by food.

Spawned values

When spawned in any way except breeding – for instance, using commands, spawning naturally, or using spawn eggs – horses are assigned their stats within certain ranges.

Health

Horse's health points range from 15HP❤️ × 7.5 to 30HP❤️ × 15, with an average of 22.5HP❤️ × 11.25. A horse with an odd number of health points does not show the last half-heart. So if a horse has 15 health (💔❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️), its health bar will only display 14 health (❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️). And if the horse took 3HP💔❤️ damage, it would have 12 health left 🖤❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️, but it would seem like it only took 2HP❤️, since the bar only shows 2 points of damage.

Movement speed

A horse's movement speed ranges from 0.1125–0.3375 in internal units, with an average of 0.225. For reference, the player's normal walking speed is 0.1. The speed listed does not include any status effect that affects the speed of the horse or the player.

The conversion factor between internal units and blocks/sec is roughly 43.17, putting the best horse's maximum speed at about 14.57 blocks/second, and the average horse's speed at about 9.71 blocks/sec.

  • Minimum: 4.86 blocks/sec.
  • Player speed (walking): 4.317 blocks/sec.
  • Player speed (sprinting): 5.612 blocks/sec.

See also transportation methods to compare the speeds of various transportation methods.

Jump strength

Horse's jump strength ranges from 0.4–1.0, with an average of 0.7 in internal units.

The minimum jump strength of 0.4 is enough to clear 1.153 blocks, while the maximum of 1.0 is enough to clear 5.9197 blocks. The calculation, however, is not linear with the average jump strength of 0.7 favoring the lower side with the value of 3.124 blocks.[4]

Bred values

When breeding two horses, or a horse and a donkey, the baby's stats are determined by the following formula, run for each stat individually:

  1. Get the absolute difference of the attribute value of both parents
  2. Add 30% of the total value range to the result of step one
  3. Compute a value between -0.5 and 0.5 (the distribution is not equally likely)
  4. Multiply the result of step two with the random value from step three
  5. Add the average of the two parents' attribute values to the result

If the resulting value is

  • greater than the allowed maximum,
  • or smaller than the allowed minimum,

the difference toward that allowed extreme is respectively subtracted/added from/to the value.

Although the game performs these operations on the internal attribute values, they can just as well be applied to the in-game values for movement speed and jump height.

A pseudocode implementation might look like this, wherein MIN and MAX represent the extremes Minecraft allows the attribute to assume. Additionally, x and y represent the values the parents hold.

base = (| x - y | + (MAX - MIN) * 0.3) * ((rand(0,1) + rand(0,1) + rand(0,1)) / 3 - 0.5) + (x + y) / 2
if base > MAX:
    base = 2 * MAX - base
if base < MIN:
    base = 2 * MIN - base
return base

[5]

A foal has an 11% chance to be a random base color and a 20% chance to have random markings. Otherwise, it chooses the values from one of its parents.

Usage

See also: Transportation

Tamed and saddled horses can be used as a means of transportation. When ridden, they are able to move faster and jump higher than a normal player. Horses can be used to climb hills and jump fences, as some can jump high enough to clear up to five block heights, versus the player's maximum of about one (without jump boost).

Horses can be pulled along and tied up using a lead. They can be towed behind a boat by using a lead.

Equipment

Horse UI

Tamed horses have two equipment slots:

Foals cannot be equipped, as they cannot be ridden.

Equipment can be placed on a horse by holding it and then using on the horse, or by accessing its inventory. A horse’s inventory can be accessed by mounting the horse and using inventory control, or by sneaking and then using or pressing the "open inventory" button‌[Bedrock Edition only] on the horse. The player cannot open their inventory while on an untamed horse, though they can open containers.

The equipment can be removed by two methods:

  • Removing the equipment from their slots in the horse's inventory.
  • Using shears on the horse. If both a saddle and horse armor are equipped, they are removed one at a time. The first use removes the horse armor, and a second use removes the saddle.

Riding

Main article: Riding

Once a horse is tamed and saddled, the player can control it with standard directional controls, jump, and the mouse. The player dismounts using the dismount control. Like riding other entities, it is impossible for a player to use a nether portal or end portal while on a horse.‌[Bedrock Edition only]

A ridden saddled horse automatically runs up any one block high slope. The horse and rider can safely fit through a space as low as 2.75 blocks high. Lower clearance risks suffocating the rider if the rider's head enters a non-transparent block. The horse itself can enter gaps as low as 1.625 blocks high, but may itself take suffocation damage when clearance is less than 1.75 blocks. Horses cannot fit through a 1-block-wide gap.

The maximum speed of horses varies between 4.86 blocks/second and 14.57 blocks/second (compared to the player's walking speed, which is about 4.317 blocks/second). About 82% of horses are able to go faster than a minecart. Horses move backward slowly, about as fast as the player when moving sideways. A horse’s speed can also be affected by potions. Speed has no relation to a horse’s outward appearance. However, how fast a horse walks on its own while not being ridden can be an indication of its Speed. This can be useful to determine whether or not a horse is fast without first having to tame it.

A ridden saddled horse can be made to jump by pressing the jump control. Holding the jump control fills a jump charge bar allowing for a higher jump when released relative to how much the bar was filled. In Java Edition, when the player rides a horse, the experience bar on HUD is replaced by a jump bar and the player's hunger bar is replaced by the horse's health bar. In Bedrock Edition, the player's health bar and hunger bar are displayed while riding a horse and the player's experience bar is replaced by the horse's jump bar when the jump control is activated. During the jump control activation the number denoting the player's experience level is still displayed above the jump bar. If a horse has the jump boost effect, it will not multiply the jump but will increase the maximum jump height, however horses are not affected by jump boost beacons, the effect must be applied by potions or commands. When a player's gravity attribute is higher or lower than the default the player will automatically be dismounted upon jumping or upon landing a jump.

Sounds

Adult

Java Edition:

Sounds
SoundClosed captionsSourceDescriptionIdentifierTranslation keyVolumePitchAttenuation
distance
​Horse neighsFriendly MobsRandomlyentity.horse.ambientsubtitles.entity.horse.ambient​0.80.8–1.216
​Horse neighs angrilyFriendly MobsWhen a player is bucked off a horse or fails to interact with an untamed horseentity.horse.angrysubtitles.entity.horse.angry​0.80.8–1.216
​Horse armor equipsFriendly MobsWhen armor is equipped to a horseentity.horse.armorsubtitles.entity.horse.armor​0.51.016
​Horse breathesFriendly MobsRandomly while a horse is gallopingentity.horse.breathesubtitles.entity.horse.breathe​4×Block-Dependent[sound 1]Block-Dependent[sound 1]16
​Horse diesFriendly MobsWhen a horse diesentity.horse.deathsubtitles.entity.horse.death​0.80.8–1.216
​Horse eatsFriendly MobsWhen a horse eats an itementity.horse.eatsubtitles.entity.horse.eat​1.00.8–1.216
​Horse gallopsFriendly MobsWhile a horse is gallopingentity.horse.gallopsubtitles.entity.horse.gallop​Block-Dependent[sound 1]Block-Dependent[sound 1]16
​Horse hurts​[until: JE 26.4]Friendly MobsWhen a horse is damagedentity.horse.hurtsubtitles.entity.horse.hurt​0.80.8–1.216
​Horse jumpsFriendly MobsWhen a horse begins a leapentity.horse.jumpsubtitles.entity.horse.jump​0.41.016
​Something fellFriendly MobsWhen a horse falls from more than 1 blockentity.horse.landsubtitles.entity.generic.big_fall​0.41.016
​FootstepsFriendly MobsWhile a horse is walkingentity.horse.stepsubtitles.generic.block.footsteps​Block-Dependent[sound 1]Block-Dependent[sound 1]16
​FootstepsFriendly MobsWhile a horse is walking on wood or is being riddenentity.horse.step_woodsubtitles.generic.block.footsteps​Block-Dependent[sound 1]Block-Dependent[sound 1]16
​Saddle equipsFriendly MobsWhen a saddle is equipped to a horseentity.horse.saddlesubtitles.entity.horse.saddle​0.51.016
​Saddle snips awayFriendly MobsWhen saddle is removed from a horse using shearsitem.saddle.unequipsubtitles.item.saddle.unequip​0.51.016
​Horse armor snips awayFriendly MobsWhen armor is removed with shearsitem.item.horse_armor.unequipsubtitles.item.horse_armor.unequip​1.01.016
  1. ↑ a b c d e f g h See block sound type

Bedrock Edition:

Sounds
SoundClosed captionsSourceDescriptionIdentifierTranslation keyVolumePitch
​Horse neighsFriendly MobsRandomlymob.horse.idlesubtitles.entity.horse.ambient​0.80.8–1.2
​Horse neighsFriendly MobsWhen a player is bucked off a horsemob.horse.angrysubtitles.entity.horse.ambient​0.80.8–1.2
​Horse armor equipsFriendly MobsWhen armor is equipped to a horsemob.horse.armorsubtitles.entity.horse.armor​0.61.0
​Horse armor equipsFriendly MobsUnused sound event[sound 1]mob.horse.armorsubtitles.entity.horse.armor​1.00.8–1.2
​Horse breathesFriendly MobsRandomly while a horse is gallopingmob.horse.breathsubtitles.entity.horse.breathe​0.71.0
​Horse diesFriendly MobsWhen a horse diesmob.horse.deathsubtitles.entity.horse.death​0.80.8–1.2
​Horse eatsFriendly MobsWhen a horse eats an itemmob.horse.eatsubtitles.entity.horse.eat​0.5–1.50.8–1.2
​Horse gallopsFriendly MobsWhile a horse is gallopingmob.horse.gallopsubtitles.entity.horse.gallop​0.450.9–1.1
​Horse hurtsFriendly MobsWhen a horse is damagedmob.horse.hitsubtitles.entity.horse.hurt​0.80.8–1.2
​Horse jumpsFriendly MobsWhen a horse begins a leapmob.horse.jumpsubtitles.entity.horse.jump​0.41.0
​Something fellFriendly MobsWhen a horse falls from more than 1 blockmob.horse.landsubtitles.entity.generic.big_fall​0.41.0
​FootstepsFriendly MobsWhile a horse is walkingmob.horse.softsubtitles.block.generic.footsteps​0.450.9–1.1
​FootstepsFriendly MobsWhile a horse is walking on wood[sound 2] or is being riddenmob.horse.woodsubtitles.block.generic.footsteps​0.450.9–1.1
​Horse breathesFriendly MobsWhen a saddle is equipped to a horsemob.horse.leathersubtitles.entity.horse.breathe​0.61.0
None​[sound 3]​Friendly MobsWhen saddle is removed from a horse using shearsmob.unsaddleNone​[sound 3]​1.01.0
​Horse armor snips awayFriendly MobsWhen armor is removed with shearsmob.horse.horse_armor_unequipsubtitles.item.horse_armor.unequip​1.01.0
  1. ↑ This sound event is assigned to the horse for adding a chest, but is not called by the game
  2. ↑ Except for stems, Nether wood, cherry wood, and bamboo wood due to MCPE-165012
  3. ↑ a b ​MCPE-238913​

Foal

Java Edition:

Sounds
SoundClosed captionsSourceDescriptionIdentifierTranslation keyVolumePitchAttenuation
distance
​Foal neighsFriendly MobsRandomlyentity.baby_horse.ambientsubtitles.entity.baby_horse.ambient​1.00.7516
​Foal neighsFriendly MobsWhen a player fails to interact with a foalentity.baby_horse.angrysubtitles.entity.baby_horse.angry​1.00.7516
​Foal breathesFriendly MobsRandomly while a foal is galloping (unused without commands)entity.baby_horse.breathesubtitles.entity.baby_horse.breathe​1.01.016
​Foal hurtsFriendly MobsWhen a foal is damagedentity.baby_horse.hurtsubtitles.entity.baby_horse.hurt​1.00.7516
​Foal diesFriendly MobsWhen a foal diesentity.baby_horse.deathsubtitles.entity.baby_horse.death​1.00.7516
​Foal eatsFriendly MobsWhen a foal eats an itementity.baby_horse.eatsubtitles.entity.baby_horse.eat​1.00.7516
​Something falls on a blockFriendly MobsWhen a foal falls enough to take fall damageentity.baby_horse.fallsubtitles.block.generic.fall​1.00.7516
​Foal landsFriendly MobsWhen a foal falls from more than 1 blockentity.baby_horse.landsubtitles.entity.baby_horse.land​1.00.7516
​FootstepsFriendly MobsWhile a foal is walkingentity.baby_horse.fallsubtitles.block.generic.footsteps​1.00.7516

Bedrock Edition:

Sounds
SoundClosed captionsSourceDescriptionIdentifierTranslation keyVolumePitch
​Foal neighsFriendly MobsRandomlymob.baby_horse.ambient​ ?​​​1.00.0
​​Friendly MobsWhen a player fails to interact with a foalmob.baby_horse.angry​ ?​​​1.00.0
​​Friendly MobsRandomly while a foal is galloping (unused without commands)mob.baby_horse.breathe​ ?​​​1.00.0
​Foal hurtsFriendly MobsWhen a foal is damagedmob.baby_horse.hurt​ ?​​​1.00.5
​​Friendly MobsWhen a foal diesmob.baby_horse.death​ ?​​​1.00.5
​​Friendly MobsWhen a foal eats an itemmob.baby_horse.eat​ ?​​​1.00.0
​​Friendly MobsWhen a foal falls from more than 1 blockmob.baby_horse.land​ ?​​​1.00.0

Data values

ID

Java Edition:

NameIdentifierEntity tags Translation key
EntitySprite horse.png: Sprite image for horse in Minecraft Horsehorsecan_equip_saddle
can_float_while_ridden
can_wear_horse_armor
dismounts_underwater
followable_friendly_mobs
entity.minecraft.horse

Bedrock Edition:

NameIdentifierNumeric ID FamilyTranslation key
EntitySprite horse.png: Sprite image for horse in Minecraft Horsehorse23 horse
mob
entity.horse.name

Entity data

Horses have entity data associated with them that contain various properties.

Java Edition:

Main article: Entity format
  • [NBT Compound / JSON Object] Entity data
    • Additional fields for mobs that can breed see Template:Nbt inherit/breedable/template
    • Tags common to all entities see Template:Nbt inherit/entity/template
    • Tags common to all mobs see Template:Nbt inherit/mob/template
    • [Byte] Bred: 1 or 0 (true/false) – Unknown. Remains 0 after breeding. If true, causes it to stay near other horses with this flag set.
    • [Byte] EatingHaystack: 1 or 0 (true/false) – true if the mob is eating grass.
    • [Int Array] Owner: The UUID of the entity that tamed the mob, stored as four ints. Has no effect on behavior. Does not exist if there is no owner.
    • [Byte] Tame: 1 or 0 (true/false) – true if the mob is tamed.
    • [Int] Temper: Ranges from 0 to 100; increases with feeding. Higher values make a mob easier to tame.
    • [Int] Variant: The variant and markings of the horse. Encoded as variant | (markings << 8). Unused values lead to white horses. The encoded variant field represents the minecraft:horse/variant component.
White Creamy Chestnut Brown Black Gray Dark Brown
None 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
White 256 257 258 259 260 261 262
White Field 512 513 514 515 516 517 518
White Dots 768 769 770 771 772 773 774
Black Dots 1024 1025 1026 1027 1028 1029 1030

Variant names taken from the names of the texture file they correspond to.

Summoning a horse without specifying the Variant value results in a white horse. Summoning a horse with a correct color byte but an incorrect marking byte results in a horse of the corresponding color but no markings. Summoning a horse with a correct marking byte but an incorrect color byte results in a white horse with the corresponding markings.

Bedrock Edition:

See Bedrock Edition level format/Entity format.

Achievements

IconAchievementIn-game descriptionActual requirements (if different)Gamerscore earnedTrophy type (PS)
PS4Other
Cow TipperHarvest some leather.Pick up leather from the ground or via fishing.15Bronze
Artificial SelectionBreed a mule from a horse and a donkey.—30Bronze
Saddle UpTame a horse.—20Bronze
It SpreadsKill a mob next to a catalystKill any mob that drops experience near a sculk catalyst, with the sole exception of the ender dragon. Mobs that drop no experience are ignored for this achievement.10Bronze

Achievements that apply to all mobs:

Advancements

IconAdvancementIn-game descriptionActual requirements (if different)
It SpreadsKill a mob near a Sculk CatalystKill any mob that drops experience near a sculk catalyst, with the sole exception of the ender dragon. Mobs that drop no experience are ignored for this advancement.
The Parrots and the BatsBreed two animals together A mule must be the result of breeding a horse and a donkey for this advancement as they are not breedable together. Other breedable mobs are ignored for this advancement.
Best Friends ForeverTame an animalTame one of these 11 tameable animals: Skeleton Horse can be tamed in the same way as a regular horse to gain this advancement with the ride command.
Two by TwoBreed all the animals! A trader llama does not count as a llama, and a mule must be the result of breeding a horse and a donkey for this advancement as they are not breedable together. Other breedable mobs can be bred, but are ignored for this advancement.

Advancements that apply to all mobs:

History

Development

April 4, 2013 Jeb hinted at adding horses when Minecraft hit 10,000,000 sales.

Java Edition

Java Edition
1.6.113w16a


Added horses.

Horses have been assisted by DrZhark (John Olarte), creator of the Mo' Creatures mod, whose horses are a baseline for Minecraft's horse models.[6]
Unlike other baby animals, baby horses' models change continuously as they approach adulthood.
There appears to exist no lower bound for the age parameter with respect to how it affect the shape of horses, leading to outright bizarre models at extreme negative values.[7]
13w16b Horses are now slower.
The gliding of horses has been reduced.
13w18a Horse saddles have been removed. Horses are now controlled using saddles.
13w21a A new GUI for horses has been added, to control saddles/armor/inventory.
13w22a New sound effects have been added to horses.
Untamed horses can now be leashed.
release Horses can now be fed with golden carrots in addition to both types of golden apples.
1.7.213w36a Horses now spawn in savannas.
1.814w26c Horses can no longer be fed bread for taming, healing, or growing.
Wheat's acceleration of baby horse growth has been reduced.
14w28b Baby horses appear adult sized.
1.8.1pre1 Baby horses no longer appear adult sized unless they are fed. Reloading the world makes them appear as babies again.
There now appears to exist a proper lower bound for horse ages, as those with ages below the minimum do not have a deformed model.
1.915w47a Feeding baby horses no longer makes them appear adult sized.
Horses now no longer gradually grow in size as they age, apparently as a direct result of the above.
15w47b Sounds for horses eating food given by a player have been added.
1.1116w39a Horses no longer rear when a player interacts with a horse with an item.
1.1317w45a


The models of horses have been simplified to be more consistent with other mobs.

Horses (and all variants) no longer open their mouth when emitting sounds.
17w46a

The new models of horses have been slightly tweaked. The position of the nose has moved up to one pixel.
18w03a

The models of horses have been changed, once again. The texture has also been slightly altered and their nose height has been increased by one pixel, they can also rear when angry again.
18w22a The texture of creamy horses has been changed, which has changed the texture from to .
1.1418w43a The textures of horses have been changed.
19w08a Horses can now wear leather horse armor.
Horse armor no longer flashes red when the horse takes damage.
Horse armor no longer turns invisible when the horse has the Invisibility effect.
Horses can now use the Thorns, Feather Falling, Depth Strider, Respiration, Protection, Fire Protection, Projectile Protection and Blast Protection enchantments are via horse armor if the enchantments were added using an anvil in creative mode.
1.1519w37a Horses no longer drop their horse armor if it was enchanted with Curse of Vanishing using an anvil in creative mode.
1.1620w15a Tamed horses can now be saddled by dispensers.
Dispensers can now put horse armors on tamed horses.
1.18experimental snapshot 6 Horses now follow players that are holding golden carrots, golden apples, or enchanted golden apples.
1.19.322w45a Horses can no longer suffocate in the obsidian frame after going through nether portals.[8]
1.19.423w07a When breeding horses and the like, the babies' speed, jump height, and health are now a variation of the average of the parents' stats. Previously, it was an average of the parents' stats plus a random imaginary horse's stats, which caused babies' stats to be biased toward the average.[9]
1.20.524w05a Horses can no longer use the Depth Strider and Respiration enchantments via horse armor.
1.2124w18a Players in survival or adventure mode no longer remove horse armor with the Curse of Binding enchantment from horses.
1.21.224w36a Horse armor now shows the enchantment glint on the horse when enchanted.[10]
1.21.525w03a The horse's saddle is now an overlay texture, split from the horse main texture.
Saddles now show up on invisible horses.[11]
Saddles now show the enchantment glint on the horse when enchanted.
The unused saddlebag of the horse's texture has been removed.
1.21.625w20a Saddles and horse armor can now be removed from horses using shears.
25w21a Horses can now be fed carrots for taming, healing, and growing.
1.21.1125w44a Horses no longer sink in water when ridden by a player.
25w46a Horses no longer panic if controlled by other mobs.
pre3 Tamed horses no longer run into cactus or sweet berry bushes.
26.1snap4 The model and textures of baby horses have been changed.
Added new baby sounds for horses.
Increased the bounding box of baby horses to better fit the new model.
Saddles and horse armor on baby horses no longer render.
snap5 Added golden dandelions, which can be used to prevent baby horses from growing up.
snap8 The adult horse's blackdot markings have been updated to be visually closer to the new baby horse markings.
pre2 Baby horses are no longer scaled up slightly to match Bedrock Edition.

Bedrock Edition

Pocket Edition Alpha
v0.15.0build 1
Added horses.
v0.16.0build 1 Horses can now be fed using enchanted golden apples.
Bedrock Edition
1.2.5release Horses no longer follow players that are holding food.
1.2.6beta 1.2.6.2
The models of horses have been changed to the (Java Edition 17w45a) models.
1.2.9 Horses no longer open their mouths when bucking the player off or taking damage.
1.10.0beta 1.10.0.3
The model and textures of horses have been changed.
1.11.0beta 1.11.0.1 Horses now spawn in village stables and animal pens.
1.13.0beta 1.13.0.16 The horses no longer use the old models. Prior, old horses sometimes appeared.
1.19.70Preview 1.19.70.23 When breeding horses and the like, the babies' speed, jump, height, and health are no longer biased toward the average.
1.20.10Preview 1.20.10.20 Horses now follow players that are holding golden carrots, golden apples, or enchanted golden apples.
1.21.90Preview 1.21.90.25 Saddles and horse armor can now be removed from horses using shears.
Preview 1.21.90.26 A sound now plays when removing a saddle or horse armor from an horse using shears.
Horses can now be fed carrots for taming, healing, and growing.
1.21.120Preview 1.21.120.24 The horse's saddle is now an overlay texture, split from the horse main texture.
The unused saddlebag of the horse's texture has been removed.
1.21.130Preview 1.21.130.24 Horses no longer sink in water while being ridden by a player.
To make horses not sink, they are now server-authoritative, which introduces a slight delay when turning, moving, or jumping. This was originally intentional.[12]
Preview 1.21.130.26 Horses can now be equipped with the new netherite horse armor.
26.0Preview 26.0.23 Horses now no longer gradually grow in size as they age, matching Java Edition, and to prepare for Tiny Takeover.
26.10Preview 26.10.20 The model and textures of baby horses have been changed.
Increased the bounding box of baby horses to better fit the new model.
Added new baby sounds for horses.
Horses are now more responsive as they were before 1.21.130.
Preview 26.10.21 Added golden dandelions, which can be used to prevent baby horses from growing up.
Preview 26.10.23 The adult horse's blackdot markings have been updated to be visually closer to the new baby horse markings.
26.30Preview 26.30.29 Horses ridden by players can no longer be pushed by sulfur cubes with blocks absorbed.
Upcoming Bedrock Edition
26.60Preview 26.60.21 Adult horses grown up from babies in a world that's been reloaded no longer have a hitbox of a block, and instead now properly have the hitbox of an adult horse.[13]
Riding adult horses that have grown up from babies before reloading the world no longer glitch through blocks.[14]

Legacy Console Edition

Legacy Console Edition
Xbox 360Xbox OnePS3PS4PS VitaWii USwitch
TU19CU71.121.121.12Patch 11.0.1
Added horses.
TU22CU101.151.151.15 Quick move has been added to the horse inventory.
TU31CU191.221.221.22Patch 3 Baby horse growth can now be accelerated using wheat.
TU43CU331.361.361.36Patch 13 Sounds for horses have been added.
TU60CU511.641.641.64Patch 301.0.11
The models of horses have been changed.
1.90 The textures of horses have been changed.

New Nintendo 3DS Edition

Data history

Java Edition
1.1116w32a The NBT HasReproduced, Type and Saddle has been removed
Horses now have different IDs: horse, donkey, mule, zombie_horse and skeleton_horse
Note: Unused Variant IDs now result in a white horse rather than an invisible one.
1.1317w47a Numeric IDs for entities were presumably deprecated in this version.​
1.20.524w05a Replaced ArmorItem tag with body_armor_item.
1.21.525w03a Replaced body_armor_item tag with equipment.body.
Unified the NBT SaddleItem into the new equipment.saddle slot.

Issues

Issues relating to "Horse" or "Foal" are maintained on the bug tracker. Issues should be reported and viewed there.

Renders


Mojang images

Development images

Screenshots

Textures

In other media

See also

References

  1. ↑ MCPE-238139 – When baby horse grows up it keeps baby collision box
  2. ↑ This is due to the fact in the horse.json file, in the minecraft:horse_baby component group, it has the minecraft:collision_box component. However the adult's collision box is in the base components list, rather than the minecraft:horse_adult component group. And when a component group with a component that's also in the base components list or another group gets removed, it also removes the same component from the said locations, resulting in adult horses grown from babies having a default collision box of a block.
  3. ↑ MC-160945 – resolved as "Works As Intended".
  4. ↑ "_horse_jump.py" by Micalobia.
  5. ↑ Statistics and Psuedocode for the new Horse Breeding Mechanics – Reddit, u/pink_cow_moo, July 14, 2023
  6. ↑ "Also big thanks to @DrZhark, the creator of Mo' Creatures, that have assisted us to make it happen!" – @jeb_ (Jens Bergensten) on X (formerly Twitter), April 4, 2013
  7. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FwmN7tmLwc&t=1m35s
  8. ↑ MC-80032 – resolved as "Fixed".
  9. ↑ MC-16533 – Horse Breeding never exceeds egg/spawn horse attributes – resolved as "Fixed".
  10. ↑ MC-16829
  11. ↑ MC-13738
  12. ↑ MCPE-231719 – Formerly resolved as "Works As Intended". Now resolved as "Fixed".
  13. ↑ MCPE-238139 – When a baby horse grows up, it keeps baby collision box
  14. ↑ MCPE-241050 – Horse Offspring glitches/stutters up blocks.
  15. ↑ "Bats, Pots, and Competitions" by Sophie Austin – Minecraft.net, December 5, 2023.
  16. ↑ "Minecraft Java Edition 1.20.5" by Java Team – Minecraft.net, April 23, 2024.
  17. ↑ "#Minecraft (PC version) has reached 10,000,000 sold copies! This pic is from the next (1.6) update" – @jebkhaile on Instagram
  18. ↑ "Yes, armor, and you can bind them to fences. Instagram filter for fun, (ping @DrZhark)" – @jeb_ (Jens Bergensten) on X (formerly Twitter), April 10, 2013
  19. ↑ "Celebrate with Us" – minecraft.net.

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Horse drops & spawning
Every drop with its chance per Looting level, and the biomes where it spawns.
Drops & spawning Wiki home