As Minecraft has a big open world, taming a pet and ride it is a good method to travel around faster. In this article, we are going to list out all the rideable mobs in Minecraft to see which one of them is the best. To ride any mob on this list, just craft a saddle and put it on them.
Overall, the roster of rideable mobs in Minecraft is fairly limited. If needed, players can download some of the Minecraft mods that add more mobs - with certain mods installed, players can even ride dragons.
Table of Contents
1 - Skeleton Horse
The Skeleton Horse is identical stat-wise to a normal horse overall. However, they are much, much rarer - you can only get one skeleton horse in Minecraft when lightning strikes a horse. Furthermore, it becomes a skeleton trap horses.
When struck, the skeleton trap horse transforms into a skeleton horseman, which spawns three more skeleton horsemen in the vicinity. Each skeleton is equipped with an enchanted iron helmet and an enchanted bow, and has damage immunity for 3 seconds after spawning. To get the horse, you will need to kill the rider.
The reason why skeleton horse is better than a normal horse is that it can be used underwater. You can also flex your gameplay screenshots to others, as a lot of players haven't heard about this mob before.
How to get Skeleton Horses: using consoles to turn the weather into lightning storms then wander around the area for the horse.
2 - Horse
Nothing beats a normal horse when exploring. They are pretty common in a Minecraft world so players won't have much trouble locating them. Each horse's speed and jump are actually randomized. Therefore, if you are lucky, you can find a horse that jumps higher and runs faster than the others.
Furthermore, horses can equip armor for greater protection. This makes them better for combat, as an armored horse is a tough target to take down. There are leather, iron, gold, and diamond horse armor in Minecraft, with Diamond being the highest protection. Unlike player armor, horse armor does not have durability. This means a single horse armor can be used infinitely unless destroyed.
How to get horses: Horses spawn in plains and savannas in herds of 2–6
3 - Strider
The Strider is a unique mob that spawns only in the Nether. Because of that, when it comes to Nether travel, nothing beats it because of their immunity to lava. Unlike most mobs, striders can walk on top of lava without sinking. This allows players to navigate the Nether as they see fit, without having to worry about falling to their deaths.
They eat warped fungus, therefore, to control Striders, players need to put warped fungus on a stick and dangle it before their eyes. The player can ride on an adult strider using a saddle and can attach them to leads.
Using the warped fungus on a stick while riding a Strider makes it run faster at the cost of 1 durability.
How to get Striders: two to four striders spawn on spaces of lava in the nether. You might need a few items with fire resistance enchantments to reach and tame them.
4 - Mule
Mules are infertile offspring of horses and donkeys that, when tamed, can be ridden and equipped with chests. They do not spawn naturally - you can only get them by breeding horses and donkeys. Despite being similar to the donkey, mules can actually jump higher and run faster. This makes them the best candidate for carrying your loot chests.
How to get mules: To activate love mode between a horse and a mule, the player will have to feed them a Golden Apple or a Golden Carrot. They will then run towards each other, and a baby mule will be born in between them.
5 - Donkey
The Donkey is very similar to Mules, however, they spawn naturally. This makes the Donkey a more convenient choice, as you don't need to breed them to create a baggage train. Their slow speed is pretty inconvenient, however, especially when you are exploring the map.
How to get donkeys: you can find herds of 1-3 in Plains, Mountain Meadows and Savannah
6 - Pig
Surprisingly, players can ride a pig by equipping a saddle on it. However, they will need a literal "carrot on a stick" to guide it around. To get the item, just combine a fishing rod and carrot. While this method of travel can be fun, Minecraft pigs are not really suitable for long range adventures. Because of their slow speed and low jumping capability, you will have problems moving around, especially on bad terrains.
Using the carrot on a stick while riding a pig makes it run faster at the cost of 7 durability.
How to get pigs: Pigs spawn in groups of 4 above grass blocks at a light level of 9 or more in any grassy Overworld biome.
7 - Llama
Llamas are the worst amongst rideable mobs in Minecraft. Similar to a real-life Llama, the Minecraft version can't be tamed properly. There is no way to steer when riding a llama or direct them in any certain direction. However, players can just use them as chest carriers and lead them around with a rope.
Leading a llama actually signals up to ten nearby llamas (both tamed and untamed) to follow each other, forming a caravan. They can also be equipped with carpets in their carpet slot.
How to get Llamas: They spawn in savanna plateau/savanna biomes and mountains biomes in herds of 4-6. Wandering traders always spawn with two leashed trader llamas - you can kill the traders to get them.
This is the end of our guide for the best rideable mobs in Minecraft. To get these animals, you can refer to our guide on How to find biomes in Minecraft where these mobs live.