The game of horseshoes is a classic American pastime. It is common to play it outside on beautiful summer days. The game didn’t start in America. It is much older. Historians think that it goes all the way back to the Greeks. One of the most popular games in Grecian Games was called discus. A circular plate of metal or stone is thrown, and the person who can throw it the farthest wins. Soldiers liked to play, but they didn’t have any discuses, so instead they used horseshoes. It is unclear when people started throwing the shoes at two stakes, but the there are records of the modern version of the game in England in 1869. The first tournament in the United States was in 1910. The first official rules were created in 1914. Horseshoes is a popular game all over the United States. Since the game is so old and popular, many regions, and even some families, have their own rules. To make sure the game is as easy as possible, it is important to agree on the rules before starting. Trying to decide on the rules after the game has already started is very difficult. Instead, all players should agree before a single shoe is thrown.
How To Play
• Horseshoes is played on a pitch.
• First, measure a six-foot square called a “pit.”
• On each end of the square should be a smaller rectangle called a “pitching box” that is three feet by six feet.
• In the middle of these pitching boxes should be a metal or wooden stake about 15 inches high.
• Players have to stand inside the pitching box but outside the pit when they throw.
• The goal is to throw the horseshoe onto the metal pole on the other side of the pitch. This is called a ringer and is worth three points.
• If both players throw a ringer, they cancel each other out.
• If no ringers are thrown, the shoe closest to the metal pole earns one point.
• The first layer to 21 points wins.
