is crafting a saddle in minecraft even possible at the moment?

this changed, actually. saddles got a crafting recipe in the 2025 summer update - three leather and an iron ingot. so if you're on a current version it's craftable now, and the older videos saying it's loot only were right at the time they were made. if the recipe doesn't show for you, you're on an older version and it's still chests and trading.

you can't craft one, on any version. that's why the three videos disagree. chest loot is the route - dungeons, nether fortresses, desert temples, blacksmiths - and ravagers always drop one.