Overview
A Skeleton Horse never wanders into view; it is placed by a storm as a trap. During a thunderstorm lightning can strike an empty spot and leave a lone horse standing in the rain, and approaching within a few blocks triggers a second strike that spawns four armoured skeletons riding four Skeleton Horses, each carrying an enchanted bow. At early gear levels that ambush is lethal. Survive it, kill the riders, and the horses remain — and they are worth having. A Skeleton Horse is tamed simply by mounting it, with no feeding and no repeated throws, it is faster than most wild horses, and being undead it does not drown: you can ride one along a river bed or across a lake floor indefinitely, which no living horse manages. It has 15 health, cannot be bred or armoured, and is undead, so Smite adds damage against it and splash Potions of Healing hurt it while Instant Damage heals it. Keep that in mind if you fight the trap with potions. Saddle it like any other mount. Compare the ordinary Horse, which is faster to find and far easier to breed.
Underwater riding. A Skeleton Horse does not drown, so it crosses river and lake beds where a living mount would die, and it needs no feeding to tame — just one successful mount.
Approach one in a storm and lightning strikes it, spawning four armoured skeletons riding skeleton horses, each with an enchanted bow, which is a serious threat at low gear. Kill the riders and the horses remain, tameable simply by mounting them, no feeding required. A skeleton horse is faster than most wild horses, does not drown, and can be ridden along a river bed indefinitely.
Skeleton Horse is a passive mob in Minecraft Java Edition 1.21.4. You will need to deal 15 damage — 7.5 hearts — to kill one. It is worth 3 XP.
Properties
Skeleton Horse has 15 health, which is 7.5 hearts. It drops up to 3 experience when a player kills it. Its hitbox is 1.4 blocks wide and 1.6 tall, which is what decides whether it fits through a gap or a one-block-high opening.
- Added in
- 1.6.1
- Tameable
- Yes
Spawns in
Not a regular spawn. During a thunderstorm a "skeleton trap" horse can appear where lightning strikes; approaching it triggers lightning and turns it into four skeleton horsemen.
It has no biome restriction, so anywhere in the Overworld that meets the light and space conditions is a valid spawn.
- Dimension
- Overworld
- Added in
- 1.6.1
Dimension: Overworld · Added in 1.6.1
Drops
Killing Skeleton Horse drops Bone, plus up to 3 experience. Looting raises the maximum on most of these by one per level.
- Bone: 0–2
How it behaves
The Skeleton Horse never attacks. The only reason to be careful around one is that killing it is often not what you want: breeding it is worth more than the drop.
Killed by a player it drops up to 3 experience; killed any other way it drops none.
Command
In a world with cheats on, this spawns one Skeleton Horse where you are standing.
Summon
/summon minecraft:skeleton_horse ~ ~ ~Guides and tools that cover this
Frequently asked questions
How do you get a Skeleton Horse?
Only from a skeleton trap during a thunderstorm. Approaching the lone horse triggers lightning and four skeleton riders.
How do you tame a Skeleton Horse?
Mount it once. No feeding and no repeated attempts are needed, unlike ordinary horses.
Can a Skeleton Horse drown?
No. It is undead and breathes nothing, so it can be ridden underwater indefinitely.
Can you breed Skeleton Horses?
No. They cannot be bred or fitted with horse armour, only saddled.
How much health does the Skeleton Horse have in Minecraft?
The Skeleton Horse has 15 health points, which is 7.5 hearts.
What does the Skeleton Horse drop?
It drops Bone, plus 3 experience when killed by a player.
Where does the Skeleton Horse spawn?
Not a regular spawn. During a thunderstorm a "skeleton trap" horse can appear where lightning strikes; approaching it triggers lightning and turns it into four skeleton horsemen.
Related pages
How to get it
Skeleton Horses appear only as a skeleton trap during a thunderstorm, where lightning leaves 1 horse that spawns 4 armoured skeleton riders when approached. Kill the riders and mount a horse once to tame it.
Tips
- Approach the lone storm horse with full armour and a shield, because touching it spawns four enchanted-bow skeletons.
- Mount it once to tame it — there is no feeding stage and no repeated throwing as with ordinary horses.
- Ride it along a lake or river bed, since being undead means it never drowns underwater.
- Use Smite rather than Sharpness on the riders, and remember healing potions damage the horse itself.