Mount Bonds

A tame mount you ride grows a bond with you. This works for horses, donkeys, mules and camels, as well as the Ridgeback Stag, Reefback Turtle and Delver Mole. Every block you travel together on it adds a bond point. The bond lives on the mount, so it’s the same whichever saddle it wears.

When you climb on, the bar above your hotbar shows the bond’s level and how far it is to the next one.

Levels

Level	Points	What it gives
1	200	3% faster, 2 more health
2	600	6% faster, 4 more health
3	1,400	9% faster, 6 more health. Dash: tap sprint while riding on the ground and it lunges ahead. It can dash again after 8 seconds.
4	3,000	12% faster, 8 more health
5	6,000	15% faster, 10 more health. Jump-strike: land from a drop of 2 blocks or more and it slams the ground. Creatures within 3.5 blocks take 6 damage and are thrown back. Players and your own tame animals are spared.

The game tells you, with a burst of hearts, each time the bond deepens.

Only the mount’s owner builds a bond, meaning the player who tamed it or was given it. One second’s riding earns at most 24 points, so a teleport doesn’t count as a long ride. If a mount changes hands, its bond starts again with its new owner.

Barding

The Ridgeback Stag, Reefback Turtle and Delver Mole can wear horse armor, just like a horse. Put it in the armor slot of the mount’s inventory (sneak and use it). The armor protects the mount the way it would a horse, and shows as plates over its coat, coloured to match the armor. Leather barding takes its dye.