Netherite Horse Armor

Netherite Horse Armor stands at the top tier of horse protection available in Minecraft, offering the best stats of any horse armor in the game. Unlike most equipment, Netherite Horse Armor is not produced at a crafting table. Instead, players must use a smithing table with three ingredients: a Netherite Upgrade Smithing Template, a Diamond Horse Armor, and a Netherite Ingot. Because netherite cannot be obtained through renewable means, Netherite Horse Armor is itself non-renewable and cannot be stacked in a player's inventory.

Only adult horses and zombie horses are eligible to wear Netherite Horse Armor. Baby horses, donkeys, mules, and skeleton horses cannot be equipped with it. The armor fits into a horse's dedicated armor slot and can be applied by right-clicking the horse while holding the item. Removing it is equally straightforward — players can pull it out manually or use shears on the horse.

When worn, Netherite Horse Armor provides 19 armor points, 3 armor toughness, and a 10% reduction in knockback. When placed on a zombie horse specifically, it also prevents the mob from catching fire when exposed to sunlight. Notably, Netherite Horse Armor carries no durability value, meaning it will never degrade or break through normal use, unlike most player-worn armor. In Survival mode, horse armor cannot be enchanted, though Java Edition's Creative mode does permit applying certain enchantments through an anvil.