Did you know that there is a National Horseshoe Pitchers Association of America? After you try out our highlighted physical activity of horseshoeing…you might consider joining if you're any good!
One great thing about horseshoes is that it's a fun game to play at birthday parties, family reunions, or just with your family in your own backyard. Playing horseshoes also gives your body a nice, easy workout. A 150 pound person can burn approximately 270 calories playing horseshoes for 1 hour!
To set up the game, you'll need to follow these rules:
- Find a flat surface measuring 6 feet wide by 46 feet long.
- Mark two spots that are 40 feet apart.
- At each location, drive in a stake until it is 14-15 inches above the ground.
- Next, mark foul lines for each stake. For adult males, the foul lines should be 3 feet in front of each stake. For females, kids, and older adults, mark another foul line 13 feet in front of each stake. This ends up making the foul line for adult males 37 feet from the target stake and for everyone else, 27 feet from the target stake. The foul lines will end up being between the two stakes.
How to play:
- First, each team should have an even number of players and should receive 2 horseshoes.
- To decide which team goes first, flip a coin.
- The team to go first picks a player. That player stands behind the foul line and pitches both horseshoes one at a time.
- Next, the opposing team will pick a player to pitch both of their horseshoes.
- One point is awarded for horseshoes that are within 6 inches of the target stake (including shoes that are touching the stake), and 3 points for shoes that encircle the stake.
- The next round of players repeats these steps until one team earns 40 points or until 40 shoes have been pitched.
Above information adapted from the National Horseshoe Pitchers Association of America.