Minecraft Mounts Guide: All Mounts, How to Tame, & More

Minecraft has plenty of mobs willing to lend a hand, especially if their favorite foods are offered for the effort they have to expend. So, today, we explore all Minecraft mounts, their taming methods, and even favorite foods in our Minecraft Mounts Guide.

Minecraft Mounts Guide: All Mounts, Taming Methods, & More

Minecraft Mounts Guide - Land Mounts

Pigs

• Location: Overworld
• Taming: No
• Breeding: Yes (Carrots, Potatoes, & Beetroots)
• Required Riding Items: Saddle & Carrot on a Stick

Pigs are likely the very first ridable mob players will encounter upon making a new world, but sadly, they do not offer much benefit even in the early game. For this reason, riding pigs is mostly reserved for fun with friends or minigames. They do not require taming and can be ridden using a saddle and carrot on a stick. saddles are crafted using three leather and one iron ingot while the carrot on a stick requires one fishing rod and one carrot. Once the saddle has been applied to the pig, hop on and take out your carrot on a stick. The pig will then chase the carrot, carrying the player wherever they may desire. Additionally, the carrot on a stick can be used to provide a temporary speed boost equal to about five blocks per second at its peak.

Horses

• Location: Plains & Savanna Biomes
• Taming: Yes (Mount Until Hearts Appear)
• Breeding: Yes (Golden Carrot & Golden Apple)
• Required Riding Items: Saddle

Horses are one of, if not the most, complex mob Minecraft has to offer. Each horse has a hidden speed, jump, and health stat, and they can come in over thirty different combinations of patterns and colors. Through selective breeding, parents can even pass on these stats, colors, and patterns, creating better and better horses that reach very high speeds. With saddles now being craftable, horses are more valuable than ever, especially in the early game. Taming a horse simply requires getting on its back over and over until hearts eventually appear. This process can be sped up by feeding the horse sugar, wheat, apples, golden carrots, golden apples, and hay bales. Once tamed, apply a saddle, and then hop on. Holding space will activate a jump bar that requires good timing, but movement otherwise remains the same as normal. Just be careful not to lose your horse in the water or let it get lost. For both instances, we recommend having leads on hand which are made with four string. Horses are also one of the four mounts that can wear armor, but only the leather version is craftable with seven leather on a crafting table. Copper, iron, gold, and diamond horse armor must be found in structure loot chests. All five provide the horse with additional levels of protection, and the diamond variant can be upgraded to netherite, much like player armor.

Skeleton Horse

• Location: Skeleton Traps
• Taming: Passively Tame
• Breeding: No
• Required Riding Items: Saddle

Skeleton horses are an undead variant of horses that have a very rare chance to spawn upon a lightning strike during thunderstorms. When approached, a skeleton will appear on the skeleton horse’s back alongside three more skeleton horses with riders of their own. Upon slaying the skeletons, the remaining skeleton horses become passive and tamed, allowing players to mount them. In Bedrock Edition, they do not require a saddle to mount, but in Java Edition, a saddle will be needed. Once on their back, they function identically to your average horse and have the unique charge jump feature, but with the added bonus of being an underwater mount as well. A skeleton horse can be ridden along the bottom of rivers and even oceans. Armor can not be equipped on a skeletal horse, however.

Zombie Horse

• Location: Plains & Savanna Biomes
• Taming: Yes (Mount Until Hearts Appear)
• Breeding: No
• Required Riding Items: Saddle

Zombie horses are a second undead horse variant that was previously only accessible via commands in Java Edition. But, as of Mounts of Mayhem, they can now be found spawning naturally in plains and savanna biomes alongside their spear-wielding zombie rider. Once the rider is defeated, the zombie horse becomes passive and can be tamed by repeatedly mounting its back. A tamed zombie horse functions almost identically to a regular horse, minus the ability to breed or go in sunlight. Zombie horses also eat red mushrooms rather than haybales, carrots, or apples. Putting horse armor on a zombie horse prevents it from burning in sunlight.

Donkeys

• Location: Meadows, Plains, & Savanna Biomes
• Taming: Yes (Mount Until Hearts Appear)
• Breeding: Yes (Golden Carrot & Golden Apple)
• Required Riding Items: Saddle

Donkeys are nearly identical to horses in function and behavior but are much slower and can’t jump as high. However, to make up for those demerits, players can equip donkeys with chests, creating portable and ridable inventories. They are tamed by repeatedly jumping on their back until hearts appear, and feeding them sugar, wheat, apples, golden carrots, golden apples, or hay bales once again makes taming easier. Once tamed, apply a saddle and optional chest, and you are good to go. Their movement uses standard controls, but jumping is done using the same timed charge bar as horses.

Mules

• Location: None
• Taming: Yes (Mount Until Hearts Appear)
• Breeding: No
• Required Riding Items: Saddle

Mules are the offspring of a donkey and a horse that function as a middle ground between the two capable of wearing chests. While still slower than horses, they are usually significantly faster than donkeys. Their main downside is that they can never be bred themselves. Otherwise, mules behave and function nearly identically to a horse. They are tamed by repeatedly jumping on their back until hearts appear, and feeding them sugar, wheat, apples, golden carrots, golden apples, or hay bales makes the taming process easier. Once tamed, apply a saddle and optional chest, and you are ready. Their movement uses standard controls, but jumping is done using the same timed charge bar as horses.

Camels

• Location: Desert
• Taming: Passively Tame
• Breeding: Yes (Cacti)
• Required Riding Items: Saddle

After applying a saddle, camels can be ridden by up to two players at a time. They are not overly fast unless traveling in a straight line, but they make up for it with some of the longest jumps in the game and being so tall that melee mobs can’t reach you while on their back. Their height also allows them to step over tall obstacles, such as fences, and walk through water up to three blocks deep. Camels can be bred with cacti, and much like their parents, any babies will be passively tame as well.

Camel Husk

• Location: Desert
• Taming: Passively Tame
• Breeding: No
• Required Riding Items: Saddle

Similar to the zombie horse, camel husks are an undead camel variant that spawns with a spear-wielding husk and bow-wielding parched on its back in desert biomes. This fearsome combination of three mobs works in tandem to fight nearby players, and like the husk, does not burn in sunlight. Once both undead riders have been defeated, players can place a saddle on the camel husk and use it as a mount of their own. Camel husks are mechanically the same as regular camels, minus the ability to breed. They also only eat rabbit’s feet rather than their standard diet of cacti.

Minecraft Mounts Guide - Water Mounts

Nautilus

• Location: Oceans
• Taming: Yes (Pufferfish & Bucket of Pufferfish)
• Breeding: Yes (Any Fish & Bucket of Fish)
• Required Riding Items: Saddle

Found in oceans, the nautilus is Minecraft’s only true sea-faring mount. Upon earning its trust with pufferfish or a bucket of pufferfish, a saddle can be placed on its shell, allowing players to ride through aquatic environments faster than ever before. This speed can even be increased further with space bar, which activates a dash ability. Additionally, those riding a nautilus gain the “Breath of the Nautilus” status effect, granting unlimited water breathing until dismounting. Two tamed nautiluses can be bred using any type of fish or bucket of fish, creating a baby nautilus that grows up in 20 real-world minutes. Adult nautiluses are also one of only four mounts that can wear armor, with the others being horses, zombie horses, and zombie nautiluses. Copper, iron, gold, and diamond nautilus armor can only be obtained out in the world from shipwrecks, ocean ruins, and buried treasure chests. All four provide the nautilus with additional levels of protection, and the diamond variant can be upgraded to netherite, much like player armor.

Zombie Nautilus

• Location: Oceans
• Taming: Yes (Pufferfish & Bucket of Pufferfish)
• Breeding: No
• Required Riding Items: Saddle

Zombie nautiluses are an undead variant of nautilus that only spawns in oceans with a trident-wielding drowned riding its shell. Once the rider is defeated, the zombie nautilus becomes passive and can be tamed using pufferfish or a bucket of pufferfish. A tamed zombie nautilus functions almost identically to a regular nautilus, minus the ability to breed or go in sunlight above water unless wearing armor. In warm ocean biomes, zombie nautiluses spawn as a unique variant called coral zombie nautilus. They are exactly the same as the regular ones, but with a colorful, coral-covered shell.

Minecraft Mounts Guide - Lava Mounts

Striders

• Location: Nether
• Taming: No
• Breeding: Yes (Warped Fungus)
• Required Riding Items: Saddle & Warped Fungus on a Stick

Striders are a passive mob that spawns naturally in the lava seas of the nether. Much like pigs back in the overworld, they can not be tamed but can be ridden and led about using a saddle and warped fungus on a stick. The second of which is crafted with one fishing rod and a warped fungus. Their main benefit is being capable of walking on lava, even with a player on their head. Once saddled up and mounted with a warped fungus on a stick in hand, the Strider will follow the warped fungus, allowing for easy traversal of lava. Additionally, you can activate the warped fungus on a stick for a large temporary speed boost. They are very slow on land even with the boost, however. Striders can be bred with warped fungus and even brought back to the overworld, but water, rain, and snow will hurt them, and they are very sad and shiver while cooled. We recommend building a nice, roofed lava pool for them.

Minecraft Mounts Guide - Flying Mounts

Happy Ghast

• Location: Soul Sand Valley Biome (Nether)
• Taming: Passively Tame
• Breeding: No
• Required Riding Items: Harness

Happy Ghasts are Minecraft’s first and only flying mount. However, they take a bit of work to obtain. First, players must venture into the nether and find a soul sand valley biome containing bone block structures. Around the bones, there will occasionally be a dried ghast block, which can be broken by hand. After finding one, return to the overworld and place it in water for a short period. A ghastling will eventually emerge and begin flying about. After a little more waiting or after feeding it an abundance of snowballs, it will grow into a happy ghast that is passively tame, lured by snowballs, and compatible with leads. Next, craft a harness using three leather, two glass blocks, and one wool before placing it on your happy ghast. This will allow you to mount the happy ghast and fly using the same controls as flight in creative mode, albeit at a much slower speed. Up to four players can mount a happy ghast, and dismounting it places you on its head, which acts as a solid, unmoving platform until all players depart. While happy ghasts can’t be bred, more dried ghasts can be found in the nether or crafted using eight ghast tears and one soul sand. Additionally, happy ghasts can be raised in the end for easy pre-elytra exploration and flight. They also serve as the best way to transport mobs, such as villagers, by attaching boats to the happy ghast with leads.