If you’re looking for a quick and easy lawn game to pass the time on a warm afternoon (or to get your irritating in-laws out of your house), you might consider learning how to play horseshoes. This game is pretty old, possibly even originating in ancient Rome, but it’s still an enjoyable and relatively inexpensive endeavor.

Find a metal or wood stake and stick it about 40 feet from the area you’ll be pitching the horseshoes from. 40 feet is the official regulation distance, but if you’re short on space, you can place the stake anywhere you’d like. Place another wooden stake at the “throwing” spot. Or just use another landmark like a grill, a water cooler, or your Aunt Hazel.

If you have an even number of players, split them into two separate teams. If you have an odd number of players, you can just play a game where all of you compete against each other. Find a way to decide who will go first. Traditionally, people flipped coins to do this, but you might try another approach. Have a dance-off or have the person with the most Facebook friends go first…I don’t know. Anything will really do.

The first person to pitch should throw two horseshoes in a row and so should each subsequent player. Each successful toss around the stake is worth one point. The game is over when one person or one team reaches 21 points. You will probably need two horseshoes per player, but if you don’t have that many, you can just recycle the same two horseshoes and mark the spots where the previous throwers’ pitches landed.

Image c/o: amyandmikel

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