Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
Taming and Riding Horses, Donkeys, and More
The equine contingent in Minecraft provides the fastest transport available, besides flying
in Creative mode. Horses are first past the post in the flying hooves race, and with a speed
potion can be even faster. Donkeys and mules are pack animals, so they plod along a little
slower but are still quite speedy. Even better, you can do anything you would normally do
onanyofthesebeasts,includingfightingmobs,mining,andcollectingdroppeditems.And
theiradditionallengthmeansyoucanflyoversingleblockholesinthegroundwithoutfear
of falling, and even jump over much longer gaps.
There is just one associated challenge: you need a saddle to stay on any of the animals for
any useful amount of time, and saddles are not too easy to come by. They can't be craf-
ted,soinsteadtrylookinginthechestslocatedinsidedungeons,deserttemples,andNether
fortresses. You may also be able to find a saddle by trading with a villager.
When you're properly equipped, follow these steps to acquire your own equine transport
system. (These steps are identical for donkeys and mules, all shown in
Figure 7.4
.)
1.
Find a horse in the wild. This might take some time, so if you do, assume you've
been smiled on by the mob-spawning gods. Approach a horse with an empty quick
access slot selected in your inventory bar—in other words, empty hands.
2.
Right-click the horse to mount it. You'll more than likely be thrown off, but per-
severe. It may take four or five tries, perhaps even more, but getting thrown off
won't bruise you, and you can sweeten the deal for the horse by feeding it wheat,
sugar, apples, bread, or a hay bale between attempts.
3.
The horse will display the love-heart animation when it's finally tamed.
4.
While still mounted, open the inventory window and transfer the saddle to the
horse's own saddle slot in the top left of the inventory window.
