How to Summon a Skeleton Trap (4 Horsemen) – Wiki Guide
This Minecraft tutorial explains how to summon a skeleton trap with screenshots and step-by-step instructions.
A skeleton trap occurs when a horse is struck by lightning during a thunderstorm which causes the Four Horsemen to spawn. A skeleton trap appears as 4 skeletons that are holding enchanted bows, wearing enchanted iron helmets and riding skeleton horses. You can summon a skeleton trap whenever you want using a cheat (game command) in Minecraft.
Let’s explore how to do this.
Requirements
To run game commands in Minecraft, you have to turn cheats on in your world.
Summon Command
Summon Command in Minecraft Java Edition (PC/Mac)
In Minecraft Java Edition (PC/Mac) 1.11, 1.12, 1.13, 1.14, 1.15, 1.16, 1.17, 1.18, 1.19 and 1.20, the syntax to summon a skeleton trap using the /summon command is:
/summon skeleton_horse [pos] {SkeletonTrap:1}
In Minecraft Java Edition (PC/Mac) 1.9 and 1.10, the syntax to summon a skeleton trap is:
/summon EntityHorse [x] [y] [z] {SkeletonTrap:1}
Definitions
- pos or x y z is the x y z coordinate where the skeleton trap should spawn.
- {SkeletonTrap:1} is an optional NBT tag (formerly called data tag) used to specify a skeleton trap for EntityHorse or skeleton_horse.
Examples
Example in Java Edition (PC/Mac) 1.11, 1.12, 1.13, 1.14, 1.15, 1.16, 1.17, 1.18, 1.19 and 1.20
To summon a skeleton trap in Minecraft 1.11, 1.12, 1.13, 1.14, 1.15, 1.16, 1.17, 1.18, 1.19 and 1.20:
/summon skeleton_horse ~ ~ ~ {SkeletonTrap:1}
Example in Java Edition (PC/Mac) 1.9 and 1.10
To summon a skeleton trap in Minecraft 1.9 and 1.10:
/summon EntityHorse ~ ~ ~ {SkeletonTrap:1}
How to Enter the Command
1. Open the Chat Window
The easiest way to run a command in Minecraft is within the chat window. The game control to open the chat window depends on the version of Minecraft:
- For Java Edition (PC/Mac), press the T key to open the chat window.
- For Pocket Edition (PE), tap on the chat button  at the top of the screen.
- For Xbox One, press the D-Pad (right)Â Â on the controller.
- For PS4, press the D-Pad (right)Â Â on the controller.
- For Nintendo Switch, press the right arrow button  on the controller.
- For Windows 10 Edition, press the T key to open the chat window.
- For Education Edition, press the T key to open the chat window.
2. Type the Command
In this example, we are going to summon a skeleton trap in Minecraft Java Edition (PC/Mac) 1.20 with the following command:
/summon skeleton_horse ~ ~ ~ {SkeletonTrap:1}
Type the command in the chat window. As you are typing, you will see the command appear in the lower left corner of the game window. Press the Enter key to run the command.
Once the cheat has been entered, you will hear thunder and see a flash of lightning strike the ground. The skeleton trap will spawn and appear in your world:
You will see the message “Summoned new Skeleton Horse” appear in the lower left corner of the game window to indicate that the skeleton trap has been summoned. You may need to look behind you to see it.
Congratulations, you have summoned a skeleton trap in Minecraft.