Night Goblin Squig Hopper

"I call dis one 'ere Gerty...she's not much to look at, but d'ose horns 'n teef 'll put even da oldest Ironbreakas 'n a panic."

- Rozgar, Veteran Squig Herder

Night Goblin Squig Hoppers are those daring Night Goblins who have managed to leap upon the back of a Cave Squig and force it towards the direction of the enemy as a force of vicious if uncontrollable unit of cavalry. For no apparent reason other then a blatant show of a Night Goblins reckless bravado, a Squig Herder might be tempted once in a reckless mood to jump onto the backs of one of his Cave Squigs. This action usually enrages the Squig into a fury, making the Squig bounce with unbelievable enthusiasms. Since most Squigs are not equip with any sort of harness, the Night Goblin rider must hold on for dear life, flailed about relentlessly and screaming in a high-pitched voice. This provided a great amount of amusement to many of his tribesmate, and although the incident eventually ended with both the Squig and the rider skewered on top of a wickedly sharp stalagmite, the spectacle proved so impressive that it has inspired other Squig Herders to do the same. It is from this very incident that the tradtion of riding Squigs was born and the first mobs of Squig Hoppers soon followed.

Due to their show of bravado in daring to ride such a nasty beast into combat, Squig Hoppers are often held in high esteem within a Night Goblin Tribe, making many young Night Goblins to leap at the chance to join this daring, elite mob of warriors. In order for a Night Goblin to join the Squig Hoppers into battle, the Night Goblin must first show his mantle by riding a Cave Squig himself. Such a task usually ends up killing the Night Goblin, where should he be throw from the back of his Squig, the creature would instantly turn on him and swallom him whole. Such a tragedy usually ensures that only a mob or two of Squig Hoppers can be fielded at any given time. Even those that survive their encounter usually have little to no control of the direction or behavior of their mounts. In fact, the best a Night Goblin rider can do is to simply tug at his Squig and hopefully lead it to the general direction of his enemies. However, Squig Hoppers will never admit they aren't in control, for they are far to prideful in their illunsional status as elite warriors for them to concern themselves with the honest truth.

When coaxed into battle, a mob of Squig Hoppers are considered an extremely unpredictable asset upon the battlefield, for they either have the brutal ability to devastate the enemy, or the unfortunate ability to destroy his own comrades in a wild display of carnage and mayhem. Unable to keep control, these unfortunate Night Goblins are often forced to endure the harshest fighting within a battlefield, for the Squigs they ride upon have a nasty tendency to fight the toughest and most brutal foes the enemy throws at them. This boldness and moderate display of unwavering savagry is, of course, just entirely due to the fact that the Squig is too dumb to know fear and the rider too busy holding on to see what is actually going on.

Source

 * Warhammer Armies: Orcs and Goblins (8th Edition) -- pg. 55