Playing horseshoes is perfect for summer nights and days outside. A horseshoe pit is not something everyone has lying around though. Whether you lack a pit because you don’t play often enough or don’t have the right equipment, you luckily don’t necessarily need one to still participate.
Playing horseshoes can be done with one pit or even without a pit. All that’s necessary to play is a stake for the ground and some horseshoes. Without a pit, a stake can be driven into the grass or cemented down so it stays still. If only playing on one pit, players can use the same pit.
Here you can learn all about playing this game without an ideal setup, and even the rules, so keep reading to learn more!
How Do I Play Horseshoes without a Pit?
Typically, the game “horseshoes” is played with two sandpits, around 40 feet apart from each other, with a stake in the center of each pit. The pits are typically surrounded by wood holding them together and then a backboard behind it.
This doesn’t have to be the only way to play though. There are various methods to play the game, whether it’s in your backyard, if you’re camping, at a park, and the list goes on.
Here’s what you can use as a “pit” if you don’t have one:
Use The Ground To Play Horseshoes
The easiest way to play the game is by putting stakes into the grass. As long as you have sturdy stakes or something that can act like one, you should be able to play almost anywhere.
Use Cement To Play Horseshoes
- Say you don’t want to necessarily ruin your yard or have to put stuff directly into the ground.
- Well, one way you can still play is by cement holding the stakes up.
- This can be done with a bucket or container of some sort, filling it with cement, and then placing the stake in there.
- The cement will create a brick and the stakes won’t go anywhere when you throw the horseshoes.
It makes the game portable since you can move it around, bring it with you places, and you don’t have to do any damage to your yard. Cementing will take more work than just sticking a stake into the ground, but it makes playing horseshoes very convenient in the long run.
Playing Horseshoes With One Pit
You can play horseshoes with only one pit if you don’t have another one, or even if you just feel like it. Players can take turns using the same pit, and the horseshoes can be differentiated or removed after each play. It would be helpful in this scenario if the horseshoes were different colors for each team.
How to Make a Sand Horseshoes Pit
Pits are usually made with either loose soil, sawdust, sand, or blue clay. Although, sand is the easiest to get a hold of and is used most often. (source)
If you love the game and want to make a legit pit, here are some steps to do so.
Plan your layout
First, you’re going to plan out where to put the pit. Consider the size of your yard and find a place for each pit about 40 feet away from each other.
Building the pit frames
It’s best to use wood that is resistant to water, weather, and insects since it will stay outside. Buy four 2″ x 12″ x 8′ boards that will be used for both pits. Then, cut the boards to the required length either by table saw or circular saw. Using a power drill, attach them together with 3″ wood screws in each corner.
Dig and prepare the area
You’re going to want the frames a little below ground level, so dig down 4 inches in the ground where the pit will be. This makes it sturdier. Be sure it’s level, then add a 1-inch layer of sand on top of that.
Cover the areas with landscape fabric and use shears or a utility knife to cut it to shape. This helps with drainage and prevents grass and weeds from growing through the pit.
Put in the frames
Place the frames onto each prepared area, using a rubber mallet to softly tap the top of the frames so that it fixes into place.
Set up your stakes
The stakes should be 1″ in diameter and 24″ in length. Using a mallet or sledgehammer, plunge the stakes into the ground leaving 15″ above ground. Leave a slight angle towards the opposite pit.
Fill the pit with sand
Now fill each pit with sand about halfway to the top. Some people recommend using play sand versus regular sand because it’s been sifted through and is cleaner.
Rules For Horseshoe
The rules:
- Each player throws their two shoes and then the other player pitches their two after.
- When pitching a shoe, the player can’t cross the foul line.
- If playing in teams, half of them pitch from one stake, and the other half pitch from the other.
- A game can be played as a shoe limit game, where they throw 40 shoes. In this game, the player with the most points wins, and if there’s a tie then each person can take a half win or two-inning tiebreaker.
- A game can also be played as a point limit game, where 40 points can be played to.
Scoring rules:
- To be counted as points, any shoe has to be within one horseshoe width of the stake.
- The closest shoe to the stake gets one point.
- Two shoes that are closer than any of your opponents means you get two points.
- Leaners are worth 2 points.
- Ringers are 3 points and have to completely surround the stake where the ends can be touched with a straight edge without touching the stake.
- With the closest shoe and a ringer, that’s four points.
- When the opponent throws a ringer on top of yours, there are no points scored because it cancels out.
Horseshoes Vocabulary
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Pitching platform | The area where players stand to pitch their horseshoes |
| Backboard | A blockade behind the pit that keeps the flying sand and shoes in place |
| Ringers | Horseshoes that are hooked on the stake and both ends of the shoe clear the stake |
| Leaners | The horseshoes that lean on the stake without hooking around it |