Sports Rules For Horseshoe

The American Horseshoe Pitchers Association first set down official rules for the game of horseshoes in 1914. At that time, stakes were only two inches high and were placed 38 feet apart. Today the game has changed greatly and is overseen in the United States by the National Horseshoe Pitchers Association, or NHPA.

Innings

Horseshoes is played in innings, which are composed of two shoes being pitched by each contestant. There is no set limit to the number of innings that can be played in a game of horseshoes.

Pitching

While pitching you may not start or step entirely off of the regulation platform with either foot. You may deliver the shoe from the platform on either side of the stake, but must throw both of your shoes from the same side during an inning. The NHPA’s tournament rules also dictate that you must throw with the same hand for the entire tournament. All shoes must pitched from behind the 27- or 37-foot foul line, depending on the class you are competing in.

Foul Shoes

If you throw a shoe and step over the foul line, step outside of the platform during throwing, or take more than the 30-second time limit, the shoe you have thrown will be counted as foul. The shoe is also foul if you pitch with the opposite arm, pitch from the wrong platform or strike a stationary object outside of the pit. The NHPA considers foul shoes “out of count,” meaning that they have no point value, and mandates they be removed from the pit before any more shoes are thrown.

Scoring

A horseshoe that has been pitched in accordance with the rules and encircles the stake is known as a ringer. A ringer is valued at three points. If you throw a shoe that is not a ringer but lands within six inches of the stake, it is worth one point. Shoes that touch or lean against the stake without encircling it are also worth one point. All other pitched shoes are out of count.

Winning the Game

Horseshoe games are generally played to a set number of points or shoes thrown per player. The NHPA recommends playing to 40 points or 40 to 50 shoes per game. Matches are scored by either the cancellation or count-all method. In the cancellation method, your ringers cancel the ringers of your opponent. These are called “dead ringers” and are worth zero points. If there are no live ringers or shoes within six inches of the stake, the player with a shoe closest to the stake receives a point. In the count-all method, you receive points for each scoring shoe you pitch. The player who reaches the designated stopping point with the most points is declared the winner.

Tied Games

If you and your opponent have an equal number of points at the end of the game, you may either decide among yourselves to declare the game a draw or play an additional two innings. The player who scores the most in those two innings is declared the winner. If the score is tied at the end of two innings, the process repeats itself until a winner is determined.