Court and Equipment
The official horseshoe has a maximum length of 7 1/2 inches and width of 7 inches; the maximum weight is 2 1/2 pounds. Each tip of the shoe is rolled down to form a heel calk, and there is a similar toe calk on the bottom of the closed end. The calks must not extend more than 3/4 inches. The distance between the heel calks must not exceed 3 1/4 inches.
The court is 50 feet long and 10 feet wide. The stakes are 40 feet apart (30 feet for women) and 1 inch in diameter and project 12 inches above the ground. They also lean forward 3 inches, away from the perpendicular, toward the pitcher.
Each stake is set in a 6-foot-square area of potter's clay, which is 6 inches deep; the stake projects through the clay an additional 7 inches into the ground beneath. This area is surrounded by a wooden frame, 1 inch high. On either side is an 18-inch strip covered with wood or concrete.
Progress of Play
Each pitcher has two shoes, and throws both shoes in succession. A ringer (3 points) is scored if the shoe encircles the stake so that both heel calks can be touched with a measuring stick, provided that the measuring stick does not touch the stake.
If each player has a ringer, they nullify each other and no points are scored; if one player has two ringers while the opponent has only one, the first player gets 3 points. A player also gets 1 point for each shoe that is closer to the stake than either of the opponent's shoes. (In formal competition a shoe must be within 6 inches of the stake to score.)
In singles competition, both players pitch from one end, score, and then pitch from the other end. In doubles, partners are at opposite stakes and they take turns pitching; thus, each player always pitches in the same direction and against the same opponent throughout a match.
After a player has scored in an inning, that player pitches second in the next inning. (In doubles, the team that scores pitches second in the next inning.) After a scoreless inning, the player (or team) who pitched last in that inning pitches first in the next inning.
In major matches, the first player to score 50 points wins the game. In less formal competition, 21 points is usually game. A match consists of 11 games in official tournaments, and of as many as 35 games in national or world championship tournaments.