Minecraft: How to create a starter wood horse stable

Horses are one of Minecraft's most interesting mobs. They got their start in a popular early mod known as Mo' Creatures before they were officially added to the game, and are one of the only Minecraft mobs that can wear armor. Their speed and jumping abilities make them a great option for exploring before you acquire an Elytra, but leaving them out at night can be nerve-wracking.

Detailed below is how to build a small starter stable in which your horses can rest, safe from any of Minecraft's most dangerous mobs.

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How to build a basic Minecraft stable

1) Decide on the number of horses

A herd of horses (Image via Mojang)

The first thing you will need to do if you are planning to build a stable is decide how many horses you want. After all, it won't be much of a stable without them. Deciding the final number of horses and stalls needed now will save time in the long run, as you will not waste time rebuilding the structure if it's the wrong size.

It would probably also be wise to collect the horses now, so they can be added immediately as a finishing touch rather than leaving the stable empty. They can be found in plains and savanna biomes, and can be tamed by repeatedly interacting with them until hearts appear. You can feed a horse sugar, wheat, apples, golden carrots, golden apples, or hay bales to speed up this process.

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2) Clear an area

Plains biomes are great for building due to being mostly flat (Image via Mojang)

Now that the horses have been collected and are waiting safely at your base for their stable to be finished, it is time to clear the area you'll be building in. There are nearly limitless styles that would work here, but a rustic wooden design would be resource-cheap to build in survival and would fit great with any of Minecraft's best cottagecore texture packs.

Keep in mind when selecting the area you'll build in that horses will need to be able to enter and exist easily. It wouldn't make a lot of sense to make a mountaintop stable, for example. Plains biomes would work best, both due to having the animals spawn in them and their flat terrain.

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3) Establish the foundation

The foundation area of the stable (Image via Mojang)

A great way to ensure that any Minecraft build idea translates well into the game is to build an outline or foundation of the structure first. This makes sure that all the walls and corners line up, and the scale doesn't accidentally change partway through.

This starter stable's foundation consists of a grass area that is 16 blocks wide and eight blocks deep, with a second area of the same size next to it made of wood. This wooden foundation is for the stable's building, while the grass is a grazing area for the horses.

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4) Build the shell

The basic and undecorated stable (Image via Mojang)

With the footprint of the stable mapped out, it is time to begin work on the structure itself. It might be easiest to start with the outer walls and work inward. Place some sort of fencing around the grazing area that the horses cannot jump over. This means the walls need to be two blocks tall or made of actual fencing.

The design for the stable can be anything. This example stable consists of three simple stalls, one for each horse, that lead into the grazing area. You can let them wander in the yard during the day and lock them in their stalls to sleep or equip them with a good horse armor in Minecraft.

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5) Decorating and detailing

The finished starter stable (Image via Mojang)

Now that the structure itself is finished, make sure to go back through and add minor detailing here and there. This part of the build is very open-ended, and you can put as much or as little time into it as possible. You can even skip this step entirely if all you want is a safe spot for your horses to live.

The example stable has signs placed on the fencing to make it look sturdier, and stone buttons on the logs that resemble large bolts holding everything together. There is also a small wheat farm, along with a supply of hay bales, in the grazing area; this adds to the illusion that the horses eat regularly. You can also add a road to your Minecraft survival base for easy access to the stable.