HORSESHOES

Across the entire world, elderly gentlemen seem to share a highly peculiar penchant for passing the time by throwing metal objects at other metal objects. From Argentina to France to Thailand, you find them playing pétanque, boules, or boccia. But is it enough to simply spend a pleasant Sunday afternoon with a few friendly games and a cold beverage or two? No – you definitely have to hold tournaments based on established rules, associations, and leagues, as well. Otherwise it would be unbridled chaos! The cowboy version of this phenomenon is horseshoes. That’s right, they toss horseshoes around. There’s obviously a governing body for this sport, too: the National Horseshoe Pitchers Association. It sets all the rules, including those pertaining to scoring methods, acceptable accoutrements, and exact specifications for the field of play. The NHPA also organises its own tournaments and league competitions, of course. As a general rule, it’s either two people or two pairs that face off against one another. All you need is four horseshoes and two targets. In most cases, you hammer two stakes into the ground at a distance of 12 metres. The idea is to pitch your iron so it lands as close to the stake as possible. If you can get one within 15 centimetres, it’s worth one point. Toss a “ringer”, however – that’s when your horseshoe ends up wrapped around the stake – and you’ve got yourself three.
As for the origins of the game, it was the result of what you’d probably expect, namely sheer boredom. Two cowboys with nothing better to do must have decided to see who had the more accurate arm. And what did they find lying around in abundance? Horseshoes!