In Minecraft, horses have the potential to despawn if certain conditions are met. Despawning refers to the process where an entity, in this case, a horse, disappears from the game world. The despawning mechanic in Minecraft ensures that the game doesn’t become overwhelmed with too many entities, which could lead to performance issues.
The time it takes for a horse to despawn in Minecraft can vary depending on several factors. By default, horses have a despawn timer of 20 minutes. This means that if a horse is not interacted with or tethered to a fence post within a 20-minute period, it has a chance of despawning.
However, there are certain conditions that can affect the despawn timer of horses. For example, if a horse is wearing armor, as you mentioned in your question, it will not despawn. This is because the game recognizes that the horse is being actively used by the player and therefore should not be removed.
Additionally, if a horse is named using a name tag, it will also be exempt from despawning. Name tags are items that can be found in dungeons or obtained through other means in the game. When applied to a horse, they prevent it from despawning, regardless of the distance the player is from the horse.
In your specific scenario, where the horses despawn after moving away from the pen and returning, it is possible that the despawn timer for the horses is expiring due to the distance you are moving away from them. The game has certain rules regarding entity processing and despawning, and if you move too far away from an entity, it may become eligible for despawning.
To prevent the horses from despawning, you can try a few different methods. Firstly, as mentioned earlier, you can name the horses using name tags. This will ensure they are permanently attached to the game world and will not despawn.
Alternatively, you can try tethering the horses to a fence post or other solid block using a lead. When a horse is tethered, it is considered “leashed” and will not despawn. This can be a useful method if you don’t have access to name tags or if you want to keep the horses in a specific location.
It’s also worth noting that if you are playing on a modded version of Minecraft or using plugins on a server, there may be additional factors that affect horse despawning. Different modifications can alter the game mechanics, including despawn timers and conditions. If this is the case, it’s best to consult the specific mod or plugin documentation for more information.
The default despawn timer for horses in Minecraft is 20 minutes. However, this timer can be affected by various factors such as wearing armor or being named with a name tag. Moving away from the horses for an extended period of time can also trigger the despawn timer. To prevent horses from despawning, you can name them with name tags or tether them to a fence post using leads.