Minecraft's Mounts of Mayhem game drop is scheduled to launch by the end of the year, and while that deadline is coming in fast, the devs at Mojang have found time to bring in at least one more additional feature: Netherite horse armor. Yes, horses are finally getting to use the top armor tier, and if you want to try it for yourself, you don't even have to wait for the patch to drop.
Netherite horse armor was revealed with the release of Minecraft snapshot 25w45a, which is available now in Java Edition, and preview version 1.21.130.26, which you can grab via Bedrock. In the announcement post, Mojang says this is "the final testing opportunity" for Mounts of Mayhem, so it sounds like the game drop itself won't be too far off.
"Your horses have always been mighty, but now they’re going to be able to withstand even more mayhem with their brand new Netherite armor!" the devs exclaim with typical enthusiasm. "As we all know, Netherite is not only great for protection, but it is also very, very cool. Just ask the lava it can withstand! As one of the most metal metals Minecraft has to offer, it is only fitting that mayhem-loving mounts can don this awesome armor!"
To craft the Netherite horse armor, you simply need to upgrade a set of diamond horse armor with a Netherite ingot and the appropriate upgrade template.
As somebody who was gaming back when Bethesda kicked open the DLC floodgates with The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion, horse armor is still a loaded concept for me – but I get why you'd want to protect your furry mount friends to the best of your ability. At least you can finally get your Minecraft horses that maximum level of protection.
