Horseshoe Pitching Rules

[Steve King (Admin)]

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Rule 1: Conduct of Players

A. No contestant shall make any remarks or utter any sound within the hearing of his/her opponent, nor make any movement that does or might interfere with the opponents' playing.
B. The penalty for violation of this rule shall be the declaring as foul both shoes pitched or to be pitched by the offender in the inning complained.
C. No contestant shall walk across to the opposite stake and examine the position of his opponent's shoe before making his/her first or final pitch.
D. All contestants shall pitch both shoes from the pitcher's box into the opposite pitcher's box or forfeit the value of one (1) point to the opponent(s).
E. Any player repeatedly violating the rules or guilty of any unsportsmanlike conduct, may be barred from further participation in the contest.

Rule 2: The Foul Lines

A. The outer edges of the pitcher's box shall be known as foul lines. If there is no pitchers box, the pitcher must stand with at least one foot even with or behind the stake and no further than 12 inches from the stake left or right. Females may stand at a maximum of seven feet ( or 3 normal strides) in front of the stake.

Rule 3: Position of Players

A. In delivering the shoe into the opposite pitcher's box a contestant may stand anywhere inside of the foul lines.

B. Each player, when not pitching, must remain outside and back of the pitcher's box until his/her opponent has finished pitching.

Rule 4: The First Pitch

A. At the beginning of a game, the contestants shall decide who shall have the first pitch by the toss of a shoe or coin. The winner shall have the choice of first pitch or follow.

A1. The person that scores on each successive pitch will have the first pitch. If no score, then the pitcher who pitched last will pitch first.

B. At the beginning of successive games between the same players, the loser of the preceding game shall have the first pitch.

Rule 5: Pitched Shoe

A. The shoe is pitched when it leaves the player's hand.

Rule 6: Broken Shoes

A. When a shoe strikes in fair territory and is broken into separate parts, it shall be removed and the contestant entitled to pitch another shoe in its stead.

Rule 7: Foul Shoes

A shoe pitched while the player is standing outside the foul line is foul.
B. If a shoe first strikes outside of the foul lines before entering the pitcher's box, it is a foul.
C. A shoe striking any part of the pitcher's box is a foul.
D. Foul shoes shall be removed from the pitcher's box at the request of the opponent.
E. A foul shall not be scored or credited.


Rule 8: Interfering with Pitched Shoes

A. No contestant shall touch his/her own or his/her opponent's shoes after they have been pitched, until the final decision has been rendered as to the scoring values of the shoes.
B. Failure to comply with this rule shall result in both shoes of the offender being declared foul and his/her opponent being entitled to as many points as the position of his/her shoes at the peg should warrant.

Rule 9: Definition of a "Ringer"

A. A ringer shall be a shoe that encircles the stake far enough to permit a straight edge to touch both heel calks simultaneously without touching the stake.

Rule 10: Knocked off and Knocked on Ringers

A. Whenever a player knocks off his/her own or opponent's ringer, such knocked off ringers lose their scoring value.
B. If a player knocks on one of his/her opponent's shoes from a non-ringer position to a ringer position, the changed shoe has scoring value and credit for a ringer for its owner.

Rule 11: Moved Pitched Shoes

A. When a thrown shoe moves a shoe already at the stake, all shoes are counted in their new positions.

Rule 12: Regulation Games

A. The regulation game shall consist of 21 points.
B. Each game is divided into innings and each inning constitutes the pitching of four shoes, the two players each pitching two shoes.

Rule 13: Scoring Points

A. All shoes shall be within six inches of the stake to score. Close shoes can be measured with the width of a horseshoe with one edge touching the stake.
B. Closest shoe to stake scores 1 point. A leaning shoe will count as only one point.
C. Two shoes closer than opponent's scores 2 points.
D. One ringer scores 3 points.
E. Two ringers score 6 points.
F. One ringer and closest shoe of same player scores 4 points.
G. If a contestant shall have two ringers and his opponent one, the player having two ringers shall score 3 points.

Rule 14: Cancelled Points

A. All equals count as ties and no points are scored.
B. In case each contestant has a ringer the next closest shoe, if within six inches of stake, shall score.
C. If each contestant has a double ringer both double ringers are cancelled and no points scored.
D. In case there is a tie of all four shoes as four ringers or all four shoes are equal distances from the stake, no score shall be recorded and the contestant who pitched last is entitled to pitch first on the next throw.
E. Any shoes leaning against the stake in a tilted position shall not have advantage over a shoe lying flat on the ground and against the stake. All such shoes are ties.

Rule 15: Announcing Scores

A. All shoes shall be scored and announced only in their final position after all shoes have been pitched.
B. In all games the player scoring the points shall call the result.

Rule 16: Protests

A. In case of a protest, or where the rules do not specifically cover a disputed point, the Intramural Staff Assistant in charge shall have full power and final jurisdiction.