Horseshoes is an individual or team game where "U" shaped pieces of steel (horseshoes) are tossed at a small post embedded in the ground. Points are scored by throwing the horseshoe on or near the post.

Who would have thought throwing stuff at other stuff would make a good game? The ancient Greeks thought so, and so do we! A game not requiring speed or strength, horseshoes is fun for everyone and easy to play. Two players or teams alternate pitching horseshoes at posts stuck in the ground. Throws are considered dead if rules are violated. The first player/team to reach 40 points is the winner.

Score more points than the opposing player/team by accurately pitching horseshoes at a wooden stake.

Horseshoes is played in a pit made of clay or sand. Games are divided into innings. Each inning consists of four pitched horseshoes; two by each player or team. All horseshoes must be pitched from the pitching platform. Players have 30 seconds to pitch a horseshoe. One point is awarded if a live shoe comes to rest six inches or closer to the stake. Three points are awarded in the event of a ringer. Horseshoes are considered dead if a player steps over the foul line, steps outside the pitching platform or exceeds the time limit. The first player or team to reach 40 points is the winner.

The tossing of horseshoes at grounded stakes dates back all the way to ancient Greece. Theory states that Greeks who couldn't afford to toss the discuss settled for tossing discarded horseshoes. This practice stayed alive for centuries and was passed between cultures. Writings from the American Revolutionary War mention the tossing of horseshoes in British encampments. Fitting that is was the British who established the first set of rules to govern the game in 1869. These rules were passed to other countries, where they were established as official. The first world championship was held in Kansas in 1910. The American Horseshoe Pitchers Association was established in 1914 as the world's first governing body for the game. Today there are an estimated 15 million horseshoe enthusiasts in the United States and Canada alone.

Horseshoes (7)
Stakes (2

Horseshoes is a safe sport due to a lack of physical contact between players. Regardless, players should always use caution when horseshoes are being tossed nearby.

Success in horseshoes hinges entirely on a player's aim and ability to judge distances. This can be acquired and improved through practice tossing horseshoes or objects of a similar weight.

Dead Shoe - a foul shoe pitched in non-compliance with the rules

Live Shoe - any shoe pitched in compliance with all rules that comes to rest within the pit area

Ringer - when a live shoe lands around the stake

http://www.horseshoepitching.com
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horseshoes