Play Horseshoes
at Quail Ridge.
Experience one of the world's premier horseshoe facilities. We offer structured leagues, competitive tournaments, and a welcoming community for pitchers of all ages and skill levels.
Competitive Fun For Everyone
The QRHC offers you evening and day leagues, summer and winter leagues to pitch in. Whether you are a beginner, a backyard horseshoe pitcher, or a more experienced pitcher there is a place for you. Our leagues are on a handicapped basis which means you can pitch with the more experienced pitchers and still be competitive to winr you.
Winter Season
QRHC begins its winter leagues in October, which include leagues mixed of men, women and juniors. The evening leagues usually run through March with a break around Christmas/New Years.
Monday Night League begins at 7pm. Teams consist of a minimum of 4 players. However, if you do not have a full team, we can find a place for you. Your team will play 6 games on one court each night. For information, please contact Ken Hamilton at (314) 705-0282 or kenhamilton1999@hotmail.com.
Wednesday Night League begins at 7pm. You can bring your own team of at least 6 members or we can find a team for you! Teams will play 12 games on 2 courts each night. Space can be limited depending on numbers signed up so sign up soon! For information, please contact Pat Herrmann at (314) 601-4604 or pherrmann73@gmail.com.
Summer Season
Summer league generally begins in May and runs through August. We only offer a mixed league for summer.
Wednesday Night League begins at 7pm. Teams consist of a minimum of 4 players. However, if you do not have a full team, we can find a place for you. Your team will play 6 games on one court each night. For information, contact Steve Gamache at (636) 295-5279 or stevegamache62@gmail.com
Compete at Your Level
The QRHC has over 300 members and is continuously growing in its membership.
Some horseshoe pitchers are content to play in leagues, while others like to compete more seriously in tournament competition. Tournaments are held monthly at the QRHC and at other facilities. Each year a State Tournament is held over the Labor Day weekend where Missouri State Champions in the Men's, Women's, Junior's and Senior's Divisions are declared.
At the National level a World Horseshoe Tournament is held in different locations throughout the United States and Canada each year. Regardless of where you play, there is a place and a class for you to compete in. You will find horseshoes to be a family sport and people friendly. Come visit our facility and see for yourself what the sport of horseshoes has to offer you.
Missouri Tournaments
Official NHPA sanctioned tournaments offering official rating stats, trophies, and competitive play for experienced pitchers across divisions. Stay updated with local schedules, entry forms, and tournament directors across the state.
Whether you are picking up a horseshoe for the first time or aiming for national recognition, Quail Ridge provides pristine clay pits and an encouraging community atmosphere for every participant.
All participants must adhere to NHPA rules and safety guidelines during tournament play.
Decades of tradition.
The Beginning
It was as early as the second century that iron plates or rings for shoes were nailed onto horses’ feet in Western Asia and Eastern Europe. Camp followers of the Grecian armies would take discarded shoes from their horses and began throwing them toward a stake. This modification became known as quoits, and somewhere along the timeline it is accepted history that horseshoe pitching had it origin in the game of quoits. In 1869, England set up the first rules to govern the game. Over the years, those rules have been modified many times over, primarily in the U.S., where the game took a strong hold. The game was a favorite pastime among soldiers in most wars and continues today as the NHPA sends hundreds of pitching horseshoes to our servicemen in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Early Tournaments
The first horseshoe-pitching tournament in which competition was open to the world was held in the summer of 1909 in Bronson, Kansas. The games were played in dirt courts with shoes thrown at stakes just 2 inches high and 38.5 feet apart. Today’s games are mostly played on clay courts with 14-15 inch high stakes placed 40 feet apart.
Organizations
In the mid 1920’s The National Horseshoe Pitchers Association (NHPA) was formed. The NHPA is now body to some 15,000 members that oversees the game as it is played by more than 10 million enthusiast across the U.S. and Canada. The NHPA is comprised of nearly 60 charters with the U.S., Canada, and several countries throughout the world. The NHPA offers numerous opportunities for individuals to become involved with organized horseshoe pitching through its various charters, clubs and sanctioned league programs. Horseshoe pitching is truly a game for all ages – with the association offering seven divisions of play to attract juniors as young as five and elders as old as 85.
The Missouri Horseshoe Pitchers Association (MOHPA) charter membership in the NHPA ranks as the second largest in the U.S. The state association is highly organized and motivated with more than 25 clubs in various cities across the state offering many indoor court facilities making horseshoe pitching a year round sport. From 1921-1941 Missouri held its State Horseshoe Pitching Championships during the State Fair in Sedalia. During WWII the state championships cased. In 1950 the MOHPA was reorganized as a charter of the NHPA. From that time through the present time the State Championships have been held at various locations in Missouri offering divisions for men, women and juniors.