Horseshoes

History:

Much like quoits, horseshoes have been tossed at targets since ancient Roman times, but there were no standardized rules until 1914, when a coalition of amateur groups joined together to form the National Horseshoe Pitchers Association.  The rules set forth below are the rules used by the NHPA for their annual national and world tournaments.

Object of the Game:

Players toss horseshoes underhand at stakes in the ground, attempting to land the horseshoe around the stake or as close to it as possible.

Playing Field:

The court is 6x46 feet with a pit at each end.  Stakes are set 40 feet apart and are 15 inches high and one inch in diameter.  The stakes should be slightly inclined toward each other at a 12 degree tilt.

A foul line is located 3 feet in front of each stake.

The target area is a 3x4 foot pit which starts one foot behind the foul line, with the stake in the center.  The pit can be comprised of sand, dirt, or clay.

The pitcher's platform is 6' wide, with 18 inches on each side of the pit.

Equipment:

Horseshoes- throwing horseshoes have a maximum weight of 2 pounds 10 ounces, and a minimum weight of 2 pounds 4 ounces.  Maximum size allowed is 7 1/4 by 7 5/8 inches.

Rules:

A game is divided into innings, with four shoes pitched (two by each player).  Games may consist of 25 innings (50 shoes), 20 innings (40 shoes), or 15 innings (30 shoes).  Ties are broken by pitching two extra innings.

First toss is decided by a coin flip, and the winner has the choice of pitching first or second.

The pitcher's feet must be on the pitcher's platform and behind the foul line.  A pitcher may throw from either side of the platform, but both shoes must be pitched from the same side.

Each player gets two throws toward the target.  The first pitcher tosses twice, followed by the opponent.  Both players then walk to the target stake and record their scores for the inning.

The players pitch the second inning in the opposite direction, toward the original stake.  This cycle is repeated until the completion of the game.

Scoring:

Only one player scores per inning.  Ringers cancel each other and the closest horseshoe scores.  Only shoes landing within 6 inches of the stake are eligible for scoring points.

A ringer is a shoe that lands around a stake.

The shoe closest to the stake earns one point.

If two shoes from one player land closer than both of the opponent's shoes, the player earns two points.

One ringer scores 3 points, two ringers score 6 points.

One ringer and one shoe closer to the stake than the opponent is worth 4 points.

Only the difference between the scores of an inning count.  If scores are the same, no points are awarded.  Equal scores are considered ties, canceling each other out.  This type of scoring is known as the cancellation method.

A shoe leaning against the stake scores one point.