How to get and use a saddle in Minecraft

A saddle may seem like a simple object, but it’s an incredibly valuable one in Minecraft. Here’s how to get an use a saddle in the popular game.

The Minecraft world is absolutely massive. Even a small home base can stretch on for a long time, and exploring the rest of the continent can take hours. Getting around either costs stamina or time, but there’s a third way to speed up the journey. Saddles allow players to ride animals across vast distances, preserving their own stamina and food.

Unfortunately for players, there is no way to make or craft a saddle in Minecraft. They must be found or looted through a few different means. There are four primary ways of getting a saddle.

The first is to find a saddle in world chests. Saddles have a small chance of spawning in a dungeon, bastion, temple, stronghold, or in village chests. Nether fortresses have the highest chance of spawning saddles at 35.3%. Exploring the world on foot and finding structures that might contain saddles is the most common way to get a saddle in Minecraft.

If all that walking sounds tiresome, the next way is to loot a saddle from an enemy. Ravagers from village raids have a 8.5% chance of dropping a saddle. Enchanting a Minecraft sword with looting will raise the odds of a ravager dropping a saddle. Striders that carry piglins have a 100% chance to drop their saddle on death. Just make sure it doesn’t fall into the lava when it drops.

If you’re really desperate, there are two more ways of getting one. The first is to fish. Each successful cast has a less than a 1% chance to catch a saddle. If you have a master-level leatherworker, you can trade six emeralds for a saddle. These two methods are the least efficient ways to get a saddle in Minecraft, but they’re at least a possibility of getting one.

What animals can use a saddle in Minecraft?

The most obvious animal to put a saddle on is the horse. Horses are valuable in Minecraft for their speed and durability. They are the best animals for crossing long distances, but not all horses are equally valuable. Horses have varying top speeds and durability, so collect a few and experiment to figure out which is the best. Taming horses can be quite a process, but the end result is definitely worth it.

The horse’s cousins can also equip a saddle. Donkeys and mules both require a saddle to ride. These pack animals can equip chests, but they move much slower than horses. They also require a similar taming process. If you’re looking to move your base, a saddled donkey or mule is a great way to quickly transport a ton of items.

Lastly, there are two creatures that can equip a saddle but require extra work to turn into mounts. Pigs and striders can be ridden in both the overworld and the nether. A saddled pig will just wander around, but you can lead them with a carrot on a stick. A strider requires a warped fungus on a stick instead. Nether striders can navigate through lava, which is especially useful for navigating the Minecraft underworld. If you want to get your saddle back after the ride, you’ll need to put your new friend down.