Minecraft: How Mojang almost added craftable horse armor and saddle ten years ago

Horse saddles and armor are some of the rarest items to find in Minecraft. While most items are craftable in the game, these two are not. That said, though they were never officially craftable, Mojang released one snapshot version while testing both items, in which they were craftable. This was a massive tweak they made that changed how players travel and protect their horses.

Here is how horse armor and saddle were first craftable and made as chest loot.

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How horse armor and saddle were once craftable while being developed for Minecraft

Horse armor and saddle were craftable in Minecraft snapshot 13w16a

Crafting recipes for horse armor and saddle before they were officially released for Minecraft (Image via Mojang Studios)

Back in 2013, Mojang was planning to release Java Edition 1.6.1. This was a very special update since the developers had planned to release horse armor and saddle. Right from the beginning, horses were considered among the best pets to keep since players were able to ride vast distances in a matter of minutes.

In early 2013, the devs were working on horse armor and saddles. Initially, they decided to create a new saddle variant, different from the regular one used on pigs. In snapshot 13w16a, they added both items but made them craftable in this particular version.

The horse saddle was craftable using five leather items and three iron ingots. This only crafted the new horse saddle and not the regular one already in the game. Another small feature related to this item was that it was initially stackable up to 32 units in one slot.

The horse armor was once craftable with diamond, iron, and gold variants. They were crafted using six diamonds, iron, or gold, and one wool block of any color.

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Mojang removed creatable horse saddles and armor a month later

After a month of the snapshot's release, Mojang released another snapshot version 13w18a, in which they removed the ability to craft horse armor and saddle in the game. Moreover, the regular saddles were now usable on horses as well.

Hence, the horse armor and saddle were only craftable for a month in Minecraft, in the snapshot stage of the 1.6.1 update.

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How to get a saddle and armor for horses

Saddles and horse armor are only available as chest loot (Image via Mojang Studios)

As of this writing, horse saddles and armor can only be found as chest loot. Chests are located in various structures in Minecraft, that can give all kinds of items depending on the structure itself.

Saddles can be found in structures like monster rooms, ancient cities, bastion remnants, end cities, nether fortresses, etc. The highest chance to get a saddle is in nether fortresses and monster rooms.

As for horse armor, they can also be found in the above-mentioned structures. They are most commonly found in monster rooms, ancient cities, desert temples, and nether fortresses.

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