How to Build a Horseshoe Pit
Gather your materials., Decide where you're going to put your pit(s)., Make a frame for your pit., Place each frame where you expect to dig a pit., Mark the outside perimeter of each box on the grass with flour, lime, spray paint, etc., Dig into the...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Gather your materials.
Here's what you need to build two regulations-size horseshoe pits that will face each other (if you only want to build one pit, halve the materials):
Two 6-foot-long treated wood 2x6s (38mm x 140mm), cut in half Two 8-foot-long treated wood 2x6s (38mm x 140mm), cut in half Six 3-foot-long treated wood 2x6s, and four 2-foot-long 2x2s (optional, for 2 backboards) Several bags of sand (enough to fill two 36x48 inch boxes at least 3-4 inches deep) Two 3-foot-long steel posts (about 1-inch diameter) 16-24 Exterior (deck) screws (2.5 inches long, approx.) Landscape cloth or similar, to cover bottom of pits (optional) Concrete (optional) Something to mark the pit dimensions on the ground with, such as flour, lime, spray paint, etc. (optional) Tools:
Saw, electric drill with screwdriver, sledgehammer, measuring tape, shovel -
Step 2: Decide where you're going to put your pit(s).
If you're building one pit, place it so that you'll have plenty of room to stand back and throw. (National Horseshoe Pitchers Association rules say that the foul line should be 27 feet or 37 feet away from the stake, but just decide on a distance you're comfortable with.) If you're building two pits, from the back of one pitching area to the back of the other, you'll need 48 feet (14.6 m) of length (but this includes 2 feet of clear space behind each box).
The width will be 6 feet (1.8 m). , Take two of the 36" boards and two of the 48" ones, and make a rectangle.
Screw the pieces of wood together at the corners with the deck screws to make one frame.
Repeat to make a second frame, overlapping ends in the same direction so that the two frames have the same dimensions. , Their fronts should be 36 feet (11.0 m) apart, and a short edge should be facing the front. , so you will know where to dig.
Lift the boxes and set them aside. , The grass is going to get ruined in the pit area anyway, so dig a few inches or more down into the ground in a rectangle shape, so that the frame top sits a tiny bit lower than the grass.
A somewhat bowl-shaped hole will make it easier to keep the sand in place later. ,, The 1-inch diameter stake in each pit should be 36 inches (91.4 cm) from the "front" of each frame (assuming the front faces the other frame).
NHPA rules dictate that 14 to 15 inches (35.6 to
38.1 cm) of the stake should be exposed above the ground, and that the stake should be tilted forward by a a few inches.
If you were to make a triangle out of the ground, the stake, and a ruler, the stake should hit the ruler at 12 inches (30.5 cm).
You can hammer the stakes into the ground, or you can pour a concrete base around the bottoms and bury them.
The second way takes more time, but it will result in a more stable stake. , You don't have to do this step, but it will keep sand from "sinking" into the dirt below. , You can use sand, dirt, or blue clay (which you'd have to keep wet).
Sand and clay are generally considered better for horseshoes, because the metal won't skip or slide as much. , A backboard behind your stake will stop your horseshoes from going way beyond where you intended, as well as helping to keep some of the dirt, sand or clay inside the pit.
Build one by joining the three 3-foot-long 2x6 boards, and attach the 2-foot-long 2x2 boards to the back.
Bury the legs of the backboard. , Using whatever you used to mark where the frames would go, you can also mark foul lines. -
Step 3: Make a frame for your pit.
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Step 4: Place each frame where you expect to dig a pit.
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Step 5: Mark the outside perimeter of each box on the grass with flour
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Step 6: spray paint
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Step 7: Dig into the grass.
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Step 8: Place the frames in the craters.
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Step 9: Put a stake into each pit.
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Step 10: Cover the bottom of the pit with landscape cloth (optional).
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Step 11: Fill in the pit.
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Step 12: Build a backboard (optional).
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Step 13: Mark the foul lines (optional).
Detailed Guide
Here's what you need to build two regulations-size horseshoe pits that will face each other (if you only want to build one pit, halve the materials):
Two 6-foot-long treated wood 2x6s (38mm x 140mm), cut in half Two 8-foot-long treated wood 2x6s (38mm x 140mm), cut in half Six 3-foot-long treated wood 2x6s, and four 2-foot-long 2x2s (optional, for 2 backboards) Several bags of sand (enough to fill two 36x48 inch boxes at least 3-4 inches deep) Two 3-foot-long steel posts (about 1-inch diameter) 16-24 Exterior (deck) screws (2.5 inches long, approx.) Landscape cloth or similar, to cover bottom of pits (optional) Concrete (optional) Something to mark the pit dimensions on the ground with, such as flour, lime, spray paint, etc. (optional) Tools:
Saw, electric drill with screwdriver, sledgehammer, measuring tape, shovel
If you're building one pit, place it so that you'll have plenty of room to stand back and throw. (National Horseshoe Pitchers Association rules say that the foul line should be 27 feet or 37 feet away from the stake, but just decide on a distance you're comfortable with.) If you're building two pits, from the back of one pitching area to the back of the other, you'll need 48 feet (14.6 m) of length (but this includes 2 feet of clear space behind each box).
The width will be 6 feet (1.8 m). , Take two of the 36" boards and two of the 48" ones, and make a rectangle.
Screw the pieces of wood together at the corners with the deck screws to make one frame.
Repeat to make a second frame, overlapping ends in the same direction so that the two frames have the same dimensions. , Their fronts should be 36 feet (11.0 m) apart, and a short edge should be facing the front. , so you will know where to dig.
Lift the boxes and set them aside. , The grass is going to get ruined in the pit area anyway, so dig a few inches or more down into the ground in a rectangle shape, so that the frame top sits a tiny bit lower than the grass.
A somewhat bowl-shaped hole will make it easier to keep the sand in place later. ,, The 1-inch diameter stake in each pit should be 36 inches (91.4 cm) from the "front" of each frame (assuming the front faces the other frame).
NHPA rules dictate that 14 to 15 inches (35.6 to
38.1 cm) of the stake should be exposed above the ground, and that the stake should be tilted forward by a a few inches.
If you were to make a triangle out of the ground, the stake, and a ruler, the stake should hit the ruler at 12 inches (30.5 cm).
You can hammer the stakes into the ground, or you can pour a concrete base around the bottoms and bury them.
The second way takes more time, but it will result in a more stable stake. , You don't have to do this step, but it will keep sand from "sinking" into the dirt below. , You can use sand, dirt, or blue clay (which you'd have to keep wet).
Sand and clay are generally considered better for horseshoes, because the metal won't skip or slide as much. , A backboard behind your stake will stop your horseshoes from going way beyond where you intended, as well as helping to keep some of the dirt, sand or clay inside the pit.
Build one by joining the three 3-foot-long 2x6 boards, and attach the 2-foot-long 2x2 boards to the back.
Bury the legs of the backboard. , Using whatever you used to mark where the frames would go, you can also mark foul lines.
About the Author
Madison Burns
Dedicated to helping readers learn new skills in creative arts and beyond.
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