How to Make Horseshoe Pits

Originally known as "quoits," the game of horseshoes has changed since first played by the ancient Greeks. The rules of the American version of horseshoes were developed in Kansas City, Kansas in May 1914 by the first governing organization of horseshoe pitching. These dimensions for horseshoe pits continue to be the standard for today's enthusiasts. Building your own horseshoe pit can be done in just a few hours.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• 50-foot tape measure
• 36-inch steel stakes (2)
• Sledge hammer
• 6 x 8 x 60-inch pressure-treated landscaping timbers (6)
• 24-inch steel spikes (8)
• 25-lb. bags of sand (4)

1. Find a flat area of ground that gives you at least 50 feet of clearance. Use a tape measure to mark an area that is 40 feet long.

2. With a sledge hammer, drive one 36-inch steel stake into the ground at each point marked by the tape measure. Hammer in each stake until only 14 inches of the stake shows above ground.

3. Lay out three landscaping timbers around one of the 36-inch stakes, forming a three-sided box with one timber in the back and a timber on each side of the stake. Leave the front open.

4. Move the back timber so that it is 4 feet behind the stake; center it so that the stake's in the middle. Place the two side timbers against the ends of the back timber at 90-degree angles creating a U-shaped pit.

5. Drive two spikes into each of the side timbers to secure them to the back timber. Repeat Steps 4 and 5 around the other 36-inch steel stake.

6. Spread two 25-lb. bags of sand evenly inside each U-shaped pit, surrounding the steel stakes.

References

• Missouri Scenic Rivers: Horseshoe Pitching Pit Construction Plans

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