Horse Update

The Horse Update is the name for Java Edition 1.6.1, a major update released on July 1, 2013.[1] It added new features such as horses, leads, coal blocks, carpets, resource packs and a new launcher.

Development began the month after 1.5.1 was released. Eighteen development snapshots were released, from 13w16a to 13w26a. During the development period, 1.5.2 was released. Several iterations of the fourth launcher were released during this time period, from 0.1 to 1.2.2. Nearer the end of the snapshot cycle for the 1.6 update, Mojang focused primarily on fixing bugs, rather than adding new features.

The official name for the update, the Horse Update – was announced a week prior to the 1.6 prerelease on the Minecraft update tumblr (which is viewed in the launcher).