What Do Horses Eat in Minecraft [Beginner-Friendly Guide]

Want to become a horse whisperer in Minecraft? 

This guide should have you covered, then! You’ll find the answers to these questions:

• What do horses eat in Minecraft?
• How do you find and craft their food?
• How do you tame them?

So, saddle up, and let’s go!

What Do Horses Eat in Minecraft

Horses in Minecraft have a bit of a sweet tooth—just like in real life! They eat:

• Wheat
• Hay bales
• Sugar
• Apples
• Golden apples
• Golden carrots

Generally speaking, you can easily obtain most of these items. Although, golden apples and carrots could prove to be a bit trickier.

Here’s a quick rundown on how to get these snacks.

Wheat is one of the primary crops grown in the game. You can get seeds by breaking down tall grass blocks. It would be best to plant them next to a water source, so they grow faster.

Hay bales are also the most common horse food in Minecraft. You can craft them from nine wheat (3x3). 

Next is sugar, which is made from sugar cane. They’re naturally generated next to water, so keep an eye out for them!

Looking for apples? Then, chop down some oak trees. Focus on the leaves—that’s where they’ll drop from.

If apples aren’t good enough for you, why not craft some golden ones! They only require two ingredients: gold ingot and apples. But you’ll have to mine for gold ore first.

Golden carrots are the same. You need to combine carrots and gold nuggets.

But wait—there’s more!

Every time you feed a horse in Minecraft, you can heal it, make it grow faster, and improve its temper.

Check out this table for all the item effects:

Feeding horses these items in Minecraft makes them engage love mode. This is the game’s breeding mechanic. 

Keep in mind that the animals have to be tamed and pretty close to each other (eight blocks max.) for it to work. If all goes well, you’ll be rewarded with an adorable foal!

How to Tame a Horse

To tame a horse, you’ll have to find one first.

So, be on the lookout for plains and savannas as that’s where they mostly spawn. Both biomes are relatively common and easy to navigate. Usually, they generate right next to each other.

You can even find horses in stables in villages sometimes!

A word of advice, though. Before setting out on your great Minecraft exploration, be sure to bring horse food. It’ll speed up the whole taming process.

Besides that, if you’re ever unsure about your current biome location, you can press F3 and check. This only works in the Java Edition, though.

Anyway, once you zoom in on a herd, bring out your food and approach a horse. Press ‘Use’ and feed it as much as you can.

Then try to ride it! It might buck you off a couple of times, but don’t give up! You’ll know it’s tame the moment your hunger bar gets replaced by that of the animal’s.

But, what determines the success rate? And how’s it connected to feeding horses in Minecraft?

Your taming success mainly depends on the horse’s temper stat. 

Each animal has a temper range from 0 to 100. The first time you try to mount a horse, a taming threshold from 0 to 99 is given.

What you want to do is increase the temper and pass that threshold. So, every time you feed a horse in Minecraft or attempt to ride it, you improve its temper and get a bit closer to taming it!

Wrap Up

There’s a rule for most of Minecraft’s wildlife: the way to an animal’s heart is through its stomach. Horses are no exception.

Stock up on their favorite snacks, and you’re guaranteed to win them over.

One last tip is to stick to wheat and more common food types. Save those golden apples and carrots for healing and special occasions. They’re some of the best food items for regeneration, so don’t waste them!