Spider Jockey
by AvatarKage
Spider Jockey makes skeletons seek out nearby spiders and ride them, a behavior that also covers bogged and wither skeletons.
What it does
Skeletons, strays, bogged and wither skeletons that spot a spider nearby will move toward it and become jockeys on its back. The mod extends the same mechanic to other mounts, including the Bedrock Jockey, Chicken Jockey and Dolphin Jockey pairings, so these combinations appear in the world alongside the spider version.
The mod runs on the server alone, so players join without installing it. Jockey API is required and must be installed next to Spider Jockey. Files are published for Forge and NeoForge across 12 release versions, 1.20 – 1.21.8, and the code is under All rights reserved, which is not an open source license.
Key features
Skeleton jockeys
Skeletons seek out spiders within range and ride them, changing how spider encounters play out in the world.
Multiple skeleton types
Strays, bogged skeletons and wither skeletons take part as well, so the riding behavior is not limited to the regular skeleton.
Bedrock and dolphin pairings
The Bedrock Jockey and Dolphin Jockey combinations add their own mounted variants to the same spawning behavior.
Chicken jockey support
Chicken jockeys are supported, letting skeletons ride chickens as well as spiders.
Compatibility
Latest build for each game version and loader.
1.21.x7 of 7 versions with builds
1.20.x5 of 5 versions with builds
Only full game releases are shown. This mod publishes no snapshot builds.
Requirements
Dependencies declared by the latest file for each loader.
Required 1
Required by 1 mod
Use cases
Server-side spawning changes
Server owners add the mod to change how skeleton and spider encounters appear for every player who joins, with no client install.
Who it’s for: Server owners who want skeletons to ride spiders and other mobs in their world. Players on such a server need nothing extra, since only the server runs the mod.
How it compares
Chicken Jockey is a NeoForge-only mod for 1.21.1 that runs on both client and server and is open source under the GNU General Public License v3.0 or later, so it covers a different mob pairing. Spider Webber is a Forge and NeoForge mod for 1.20.1 – 1.21.11, also client and server, under the MIT License. No Modern Mobs is server-side only and open source under CC0 1.0, but it targets 1.20.1 – 1.21 on Fabric and Forge.
| Mod | Loaders | Game versions | Environment | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spider Jockey | Forge and NeoForge | 1.20 – 1.21.8 | Server-side only | 2025-08-10 |
| Chicken Jockey | NeoForge | 1.21.1 | Client and server | 2025-07-19 |
| Spider Webber | Forge and NeoForge | 1.20.1 – 1.21.11 | Client and server | 2026-01-22 |
| No Modern Mobs | Fabric and Forge | 1.20.1 – 1.21 | Server-side only | 2024-07-21 |
Questions
Does Spider Jockey need Jockey API?
Do players need to install Spider Jockey?
Which loaders are supported?
Does Spider Jockey work on older versions?
In the catalog
Spider Jockey is one of 11,058 Mobs mods on ModsFinder, and one of 6,527 Mobs mods for Forge. 17,695 mods support Minecraft 1.21.8.
More from AvatarKage
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What the author says
This mod makes skeletons seek out nearby spiders so they can become jockeys. Skeletons, strays, bogged, and wither skeletons are all supported!
Official listing
- Modrinth page
- modrinth.com/mod/spider-jockey
- Owner
- AvatarKage
- Published
- 2025-04-20
- Updated on Modrinth
- 2025-08-10
- Facts verified
- 2026-10-15