How to Get a Saddle in Minecraft: Craft One Since 1.21.6

Craft one. Since Java 1.21.6 and Bedrock 1.21.90, a saddle is 3 leather and 1 iron ingot at a crafting table. Leather comes from cows, horses, llamas and mooshrooms, so a small cow pen gives you as many saddles as you want. If you’re playing an older version, or just don’t have leather yet, you can still find saddles in chests, fish them up, trade for them or take one from a ravager.

Crafting a saddle

You need:

• 3 leather. Kill cows (0 to 2 leather each), or breed them in a cow farm for a steady supply.
• 1 iron ingot.

Use a crafting table; the recipe book shows the layout once you have the ingredients. The recipe arrived in the “Chase the Skies” drop in mid-2025; if your game doesn’t show it, you’re on an older version.

Other ways to get one

Chests. Nether fortress chests are the best bet, at about a one-in-three chance each. End city chests, bastion hoglin stables and some village chests (tannery, weaponsmith and savanna houses) also have them. The same update that added the recipe removed saddles from dungeon, desert pyramid, jungle pyramid, stronghold and ancient city chests, so older guides that send you there are out of date.

Fishing. Saddles are treasure loot, with a small chance on every catch. Luck of the Sea helps. It’s slow, but you’ll pick up enchanted books and name tags along the way; see how to start fishing.

Leatherworker villagers. A master-level leatherworker sells a saddle for 6 emeralds. On Java it’s a guaranteed trade at that level; on Bedrock it’s a 50% chance.

Ravagers. A ravager always drops a saddle when it dies, and they show up in most raids. On Bedrock it has to be a player kill.

Saddled mobs. Any mob wearing a saddle drops it when killed. Strider jockeys in the Nether always spawn with one.

What you can ride with it

• Horses, donkeys and mules. Tame them first, then put the saddle on. How to tame a horse covers taming and stats.
• Camels. They seat two players and are tall enough that most melee mobs can’t reach you.
• Pigs. You need a carrot on a stick to steer.
• Striders. Walk across Nether lava lakes. Steer with a warped fungus on a stick.

Llamas can’t take saddles; they’re led with a lead or followed in a caravan instead.

Saddles stack only to 1, so there’s no point hoarding dozens. A couple for your horses and one spare is plenty.