Horseshoe Pitching

Check out the The Zen of Horseshoe Pitching

Ringer
Having heard the clank of horseshoes as a child and watched my father pitch with his friends, I started pitching shoes myself at around the age of ten. By the time I was 12, my father (Erv Keskinen) and I were playing doubles against any takers with the usual prize for a win being a beer for him and a soda pop for me. My parents owned Oak Point Resort at Rush Lake in Ottertail County, outside of New York Mills, Minnesota; the resort had two horseshoe courts and offered me a way to pass the time inbetween renting boats, mowing grass, or waiting on customers.

Since we lived in Minnesota, I thought the only horseshoes made were those by Diamond Horseshoe Co. of Duluth which made horseshoes from 1924 - 1985. We had sets of the "Super Ringer" and "Double Ringer" horseshoes, both hard steel shoes, mostly used for backyard or picnic pitching. In the early 1980s Diamond made a "dead soft" Tournament shoe which became more popular. I have two pair of the "Super Ringers," two pair of the "Double Ringers," and a pair of the "Tournament" shoes.

I now pitch the Sue Snyder "E-Z Flip II" shoes, of which I have three pair.

The "grip" and the "turn":
 The choice of a grip and a turn is an important step in beginning to pitch horseshoes. Most pitchers throw a "turn" shoe, about a fourth of us throw a "flip" shoe. The most common grip is a 1-1/4 which can be used for either the reverse 3/4 or the reverse 1-1/4 turn. The second most popular grip is the 1-3/4 which can be used for the 3/4 or the reverse 1-3/4. The third most common turn is a flip of one revolution, though multiple revolutions can be done. The "flip" turn usually has a centered grip.

Since I'm a single "flipper," I like shoes that have a rear thumb cleat, heavy tips, and reversed grabbing cleat (on the side opposite of the thumb cleat). I'm currently using the Sue Snyder E-Z Flip II shoes (without the ringer breaker) that weigh in at 2 lbs 8.6 ounces each and are made by Thoroughbred. I also have a pair of Gordon horseshoes I use when pitching with my doubles partner who uses those shoes.

Other horseshoe information:
 Link to You Tube horseshoe pitching videos

For some historical background on horseshoes, check out the "Sports Knowhow" horseshoe web site.

Here's a link to "The Gentle Art & Sport of Horseshoes" from Mother Earth News in the July/August 1988 issue.

I am a member of the National Horseshoe Pitchers Association of America (NHPA). That site has oodles of information about horseshoes, including the NHPA Official Rules and how to construct horseshoe courts.

There also is the American Horseshoe Pitchers Association (AHPA), and the older AHPA web site.

In 2008 a Horseshoe Pitching Professional Tour was started.

Here's an interesting horseshoe blog called Horseshoes My Way, The Search for My Perfect Swing.

There are photos of the two city parks in Moscow, Idaho, that have horseshoe pits.

Here are horseshoe photos taken in Moscow, Idaho.

Here's the Idaho Horseshoe Pitchers web site, or go directly to Idaho State Horseshoe Pitchers Association (has newsletters, tournament schedule, membership form, etc). Pocatello, Idaho, hosted the 2004 NHPA World Horseshoe Tournament on July 26 - August 7, and is bidding to host another national tournament.

Washington State Horseshoe Pitching Association


Tournaments:
 Here are links to the 2009 schedules of NHPA tournaments in Idaho and Washington.

On August 17, 2008 I entered my first NHPA sanctioned tournament, the Inland Empire Memorial held in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. Placed in Class A with five men, I won all five of my matches with an average ringer percentage of 56.01% (121 ringers in 216 shoes, winning class A and taking home a nice tournament champion patch. The 56.01% ringer percentage put me in the top 100 women pitchers in the USA.

Each June Lewiston hosts the North Idaho Senior Games for people 50 and older. In 2009 I participated in horseshoe singles and had a great time; I was the overall winner with a record of 5-0.

On June 20, 2009 I pitched in the NHPA-sanctioned Elmer Currie Classic tournament in Coeur d'Alene, winning all five of my A Class games (152 out of my 250 shoes pitched were ringers), thus winning the tournament and getting another nice tournament patch. Note that the other five pitchers in Class A were males. This tournament raised my NATSTATS ringer percentage to 58.58% (273/466).


Sites for buying horseshoes and horseshoe pitching accessories:
 I've bought from Dennis Ohms, White Distributors, Ron and Polly, and Lucky Shoe Pro so I can recommend them.

White Distributors
Dennis' Horseshoes (Omega Horseshoes)
Lucky Shoe Pro Shop
Ron and Polly's Horseshoe Pitching Supplies (formerly Harris)

Mike's Horseshoes (Mike Littell)
Horseshoes and Horseshoe Related Items (Herb and Judie Heesch)
Walter Ray
Kimmy's Horseshoe Shop
Pork's Shoe Shack
NHPA Sales Distributors

Manufacturers:
Cal-Flip Inc
Gordon Horseshoe Company
M & M Horseshoes
Mr. D Horseshoes
St. Pierre Manufacturing Company
Thoroughbred Pitching Shoes