A flip of a coin is used to decide many things, both on the sports field and off. On July 5, a flip of an iron ring will decide who is the best horseshoe pitcher in the area.
What three things do you need to win a game of horseshoes?
“Patience, practice and a little bit of luck,” said Ron Highley, a member of the Golden Valley Horseshoe Club and president of the Missouri State Horseshoe Association.
On Saturday, July 5, the Golden Valley Horseshoe Club is holding the First Annual Horseshoe Tournament during Olde Glory Days. The tournament, in Artesian Park, is free, and is not BYOH —horseshoes will be provided. There will be trophies for the winners in different classes and age groups, depending on who shows up.
“The tournament will start after the Olde Glory Days parade,” Ron said. “Registration is at 12:30 p.m.”
In case your pitching skills are rusty, you can polish them on Monday evenings through June. That’s when the Golden Valley Horseshoe Club meets at the Eugene Loyd Courts at Artesian Park, behind the tennis courts, with set up and socializing at 5:30 p.m. and competitions at 6 p.m. The horseshoe courts are shaded by trees, making the courts a pleasant place to while away a summer evening.
The Clinton club was started by Eugene Loyd and reorganized last year by Jim Kinney, Jr., league director. Jim remembers when Eugene got local businesses to sponsor installing four concrete horseshoe courts with clay pits at the park, which were dedicated in 2012. Jim, who lives in Drexel, Mo., also remembers playing horseshoes at a family reunion at Artesian Park when he was 12 years old.
“There were three dirt courts here,” he said.
According to Jim and Ron, the person to beat in the OGD Tournament is Michael Glen Bowman of Urich, the reigning state men’s champion horseshoe pitcher. In 2024 in Clinton, Michael defended his state title and tied a state record for the shortest game when he pitched 16 out of 18 ringers for a score of 88.9 percent. And that wasn’t his best game.
“The best game I ever had I threw after 50 out of 50, in Peculiar,” Michael said.
He then started another game, and threw 64 ringers in a row before he missed. Michael, who is zone director for the area, said he plans to be at the OGD tournament, but has to check his schedule first. Serious horseshoe pitchers attend sanctioned tournaments throughout the state, most in indoor venues, which are heated in the winter and air-conditioned in the summer.
The earliest version of horseshoes dates back to Roman times, but today’s pitchers keep track of their scores by posting them on the MOHPA website. Scores are based on the number of ringers per game.
“The world champion has 89 percent,” Ron said.
High scorers compete at the state tournament, which last year was held at the Benson Center in Clinton over Labor Day weekend. This year, it will be in Wentzville. Missouri pitchers are also planning to attend the World Horseshoe Pitchers tournament in Salt Lake City in July.
At stake at Worlds are cash prizes, trophies and scholarships for youth. Horseshoes is played in 22 countries around the world.
What else has been determined by the flip of a horseshoe? The name of Owensville, Mo. In 1847, Frank C. Owen wanted to add a post office to his store, but first had to have a name for the settlement south of Hermann. To decide the matter, Frank challenged Edward Luster, a local blacksmith, to a game of horseshoes.
According to one version of the story, Edward was the better horseshoe pitcher and won the game, but decided that Owensville sounded better than Lusterville. The local club, in fairness to both men, is named the Luster-Owens Owensville Horseshoe Pitching Club.
Owensville wasn’t officially platted until 1886, when the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad arrived in town. Last weekend, the town celebrated the opening of a trailhead and section of Rock Island State Park, a bicycle and hiking trail built on the railroad bed. The Rock Island trail connects to the KATY Trail, and when all sections are completed, will provide a 450-mile loop of trails through Missouri, a mecca for recreational cyclists around the world.
Horseshoes is also a popular pastime, especially in the Midwest. The Missouri Horseshoe Pitchers Association (mohpa.us) has the largest number of members of any state in the union. Missouri is divided into four zones, and tournaments are held somewhere in Missouri almost every weekend throughout the year. Peculiar’s horseshoe club that meets at Lion’s Park.
The OGD tournament will draw pitchers from the Peculiar club and other clubs in this part of the state, Ron said. There is a large club that serves the Kansas City area, and also one in the St. Louis suburb of Wentzville. The Wentzville courts are adjacent to The National Horseshoe Pitchers Foundation Hall of Fame and Museum, showcasing the history of the sport.
Horseshoes is a family sport that is popular with all ages. Horseshoe clubs provide regular exercise — pitching a 2.5 pound horseshoe is like lifting weights — as well as a social outlet for seniors, who may otherwise not get out of the house in the winter. Ron remembers that Eugene Loyd was 89 years old when he played Ron’s grandson, Warren, who was 7. Who won?
“I think Eugene let him win,” Ron recalled.
Eugene and Warren had an equal advantage — seniors and youth throw from 30 feet from the stake, as opposed to 40 feet for the under-65 set. It’s also adaptable. You can pitch horseshoes from a wheelchair, and some competitors hold onto a walker.
Eugene ran the Clinton horseshoe club for 15 years. Known to family as Uncle Corky, he died in 2019 at the age of 94 in Clinton. A Navy veteran, he was buried with military honors at Parks Chapel Cemetery near Tightwad.
The Golden Valley Horseshoe Club members plan to upgrade the courts named in Eugene’s honor, Jim said. Debbie Harris is the secretary/treasurer. Bring a lawn chair, a bottle of water and enjoy watching a game or try pitching.
Olde Glory Days is July 3 through July 6. Other tests of athletic ability include a 5-K walk/run, a kayak race, a cornhole tournament and a Tractor Pedal Pull for children up to age 11. For more information about OGD events and contests, go to the Olde Glory Days Clinton MO facebook.
