H
orseshoes is a game that’s been played everywhere,
from backyards to custom-made courts, for as long as
we can remember. All it takes is a good eye and a solid
pitch to hit the mark. With these two simple elements,
clubs all around southwestern PA and beyond have
year-round games, tournaments and championships
to name the best horseshoe pitcher in the land.
Cathy Ireland, current president of the Western Pennsylvania
Horseshoe Pitchers Association, can attest to the love of the sport
as she manages eight clubs in the region. “There’s never a dull
moment in any of the clubs,” says Ireland. “Anyone can learn and
it’s open to all ages. Just stop in and sign up. It’s as easy as that.”
The game of horseshoes descended from the ancient Greek
sport of the discus thrower. As the story goes, Greeks developed
a sport where the discus was thrown at a stake. But many of the
poorer people could not afford the discus so they used cast-off
horseshoes instead.
Horseshoes was probably brought to the United States
by early English settlers. The first World Championships of
horseshoe pitching took place in 1910 in Bronson, Kansas, and
the first horseshoe pitchers organization was also established in
Kansas in 1914, making it the home state of American horseshoe
pitching.
The Western Pennsylvania Horseshoe Pitchers Association
(WPHPA) was established in 1927. “We have eight nationally
sanctioned clubs,” says Ireland. Clubs in western PA are located
in Mt. Pleasant, DuBois, Erie, Beaver Falls, New Castle, Warren,
Carnegie, and Dormont.
“Of the eight locations, only Beaver Falls has indoor courts,
however Mt. Pleasant, New Castle and Warren have outdoor
courts, and DuBois, Erie and H.O.P.E. [in Carnegie] have both,”
she notes. “It makes this sport accessible and perfect for year-
round fun.”
The game itself is easy to learn. It’s played between two
people, or two teams of two people, using four horseshoes
and two throwing targets or stakes. Players alternate turns
tossing horseshoes at stakes in the ground or pit area, which are
traditionally placed 40 feet apart.
Points are earned two different ways—either by throwing
“ringers” or by throwing the horseshoe nearest to the stake.
A ringer is a horseshoe that has been thrown in such a way as
to completely encircle the stake.
“The way games are scored depends on the league or
tournament,” explains Ireland. “Some clubs use the point
cancellation system and others use the first-to-40-points system.
Standards regulate the size and weight of horseshoes, between
two and three pounds per shoe, and the stake sticks out of the
ground at 15 inches high.”
But what Ireland emphasizes are the fun and friendships made
when people join in and start learning the game.
“We have members in the WPHPA between 9 and 90
[years old],” she says. “Everyone helps each other and teaches
them better techniques and tips for improving their pitching
percentage. This is what keeps players coming back year
after year.”
Ireland has been playing for five years and is lucky to get advice
and encouragement from her husband, Pat. She also works
directly with Cindy Hoffman, WPHPA Vice President and World
Horseshoe Champion.
“Cindy holds the most Pennsylvania Championship titles and
won the World Championship Women’s Class in 2013,” notes
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Today, the game is popular throughout the
United States. It’s estimated that more than
10 million people play horseshoes every year.
WEST JEFFERSON HILLS
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SUMMER 2019
15