- This article is about horseshoes, as a game. For horseshoe, as used on animals, see Horseshoe.
Horseshoes is an outdoor game played between two people (or two teams of two people) using four horseshoes and two stakes. The game is played by the players alternating turns tossing horseshoes at stakes in the ground, which are traditionally placed 40 feet (12.19 meters) away. Modern games use a more stylized U-shaped bar, about twice the size of an actual horseshoe.
Game play
The game begins with a flip of a coin to determine who goes first. The winner of the coin toss throws both horseshoes, one at a time, at the opponent's stake, and then the second player throws both of their horseshoes at the first player's stake. In team games, each person throws a single horseshoe. After scoring, the next round is done in reverse order. Play continues until one player has at least 21 points at the end of a round.
Scoring
In horseshoes, there are two ways to score: by throwing "ringers," or by throwing the horseshoe nearest to the opponent's stake. This scoring system gives rise to the popular expression "Close only counts in horseshoes." A ringer is a thrown horseshoe such that the stake in the ground is completely within the loop of the horseshoe. Disputes are settled by using a straight edge to to touch the two points at the ends of the horseshoe, called "heel calks." If the straight edge doesn't touch the stake, then the horseshoe is a ringer.
The nearest horseshoe to the stake counts one point. If both of one player's horseshoes are closer than the opponent's, that player scores two points. A ringer scores three points. In the case of one ringer and a closer horseshoe, both horseshoes are scored for a total of four points. If a player throws two ringers, that player scores six points.
Generally speaking, ties within a round do not score points. It is therefore possible for opponents to cancel points by throwing ringers.
