Vanilla* Horses
by sam-k
With Vanilla* Horses, rideable horses handle leaves, water and horse armor in a way closer to modern Minecraft, and the mod is a Fabric update for 1.21 – 1.21.3.
What it does
Horses, donkeys and mules can be ridden through forests and under treetops, because leaves no longer block them when the rider sits at horse eye level. Other rideable animals are covered by the same change. Horses, donkeys and mules also swim faster through water, and a ridden animal dismounts underwater while its leash is handled automatically.
Horseshoes are the mod's main item for travel across rivers and lakes: once applied, a horse can run across water with ease. Netherite horse armor is added and is crafted by upgrading diamond horse armor. Generic and horse-specific enchantments such as Protection and Thorns work on horse armor, and armor trims can be applied to it.
The mod needs Fabric API and Fabric Language Kotlin, both of which must be installed alongside it on Fabric. It runs on client and server, so servers and every player need it. Files are published for 1.21, 1.21.1, 1.21.2 and 1.21.3, under the MIT License, and the source code is open source on a public repository.
Key features
Leaves no longer block horses
Leaves lose collision at horse eye level, so ridden horses pass through forest canopies without being stopped.
Horseshoes for water
Applying horseshoes lets a horse cross water, and the Frost Walker enchantment gains a practical use with them.
Netherite horse armor
Netherite armor is crafted by upgrading diamond horse armor, and it accepts the same enchantments and trims.
Automatic leashing
Other rideable animals are leashed automatically, and a ridden animal dismounts underwater so the rider is not left stranded.
Gallery
Compatibility
Latest build for each game version and loader.
Only full game releases are shown. This mod publishes no snapshot builds.
Requirements
Dependencies declared by the latest file for each loader.
Required 2
How it compares
Simple Horseshoes is a Fabric mod for 1.21.11 under All rights reserved, with client and server use and a closed license. Horse Break Leaves is a server-side only Fabric mod for 1.20.1 under the CC0 1.0 Universal license, which is open source. Swimming Horses is an open source Fabric mod released under the MIT License for 1.20.1 – 1.21, with client and server use, which covers the water part of this mod's changes.
| Mod | Loaders | Game versions | Environment | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vanilla* Horses | Fabric | 1.21 – 1.21.3 | Client and server | 2025-01-26 |
| Simple Horseshoes | Fabric | 1.21.11 | Client and server | 2026-02-21 |
| Horse Break Leaves | Fabric | 1.20.1 | Server-side only | 2024-03-24 |
| Swimming Horses | Fabric | 1.20.1 – 1.21 | Client and server | 2024-06-27 |
Questions
Does Vanilla* Horses need Fabric API?
Does the server need the mod?
Which game versions have files?
In the catalog
Vanilla* Horses is one of 3,932 Transportation mods on ModsFinder, and one of 2,390 Transportation mods for Fabric. 13,252 mods support Minecraft 1.21.3.
Similar mods
What the author says
This mod is a long-needed update to horses that still stays within the spirit of vanilla Minecraft. It improves horse movement, lets you trim and enchant horse armor, adds horseshoes for walking across rivers, and more. Horses are slow compared to endgame modes of transportation like elytras. They should be…
Official listing
- Modrinth page
- modrinth.com/mod/vanillastar-horses
- Owner
- sam-k
- Published
- 2024-08-22
- Updated on Modrinth
- 2025-01-26
- Facts verified
- 2026-10-15