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Ten Questions Concerning Blind Horseshoe Pitching

10. Who is a Midnite Ringer?

 Any sighted, visually impaired or blind individual who wants to be involved in the advancement of horseshoe pitching for the visually impaired and blind.  We need sighted coaches and pitch partners to assist us.    We are a non member organization (that means it is free) so we would like for you to sign up as a Midnite Ringer.  Click on "Sign Up" to enter your information and we will be able to contact you with upcoming events and news items concerning blind horseshoe pitching.  After becoming a Midnite Ringer we would encourage you to sign our guest book and enter your comments. 

 9. What is different for a blind or visually impaired person pitching horseshoes?

 The National Horseshoe Pitchers Association  allows the blind and visually impaired to pitch from 30 feet.  The VA Golden Age Games pitch from 20 feet.  The NHPA has different divisions based on sex and age, typically men pitch from 40 feet and women from 30.  To view other exceptions view their web site at http://www.horseshoepitching.com/start.html

Once the USBHPA has enough Midnite Ringers to hold tournaments we will pitch at 30 feet.  However, for some of our older Midnite Ringers we may experiment from 20 feet.  We will have two divisions, totally blind and visually impaired.  Once our numbers increase we can divide by male and female as well as separating the high functioning visually impaired horseshoe pitchers from those with only light perception.  

8. How can I learn to play Horseshoes?

 One of the best ways is to go to our link page and find a horseshoe pitching club in your area.  There are a lot of sources to read about how to pitch horseshoes, again the National Horseshoe Pitchers Association has a lot of material on there web site.  In addition to learning to play horseshoes it is important to understand the etiquette of the game as well.  Since you will not be seeing someone pitch from the opposite pit you might not be aware of standing still or worse yet be in harms way.  It will be your responsibility to remind your partner to keep an eye out for you.  I have seen horseshoes ricochet 5 or 6 feet from the pit.

 7.  Where can I play?

 If you don’t have a horseshoe pitching club in your area, check to see if any of your local parks have courts.  Many subdivisions have installed them near their pools and tennis courts.  You can always set up a portable unit in your backyard or if you do not have a backyard, then at the park.  Install your stakes and then remove them when you leave.  If you have the opportunity to join a club, do it.  You will have the benefit of learning from the experienced members of that club.  Since visually impaired and blind folks may have difficulty with transportation I would recommend a backyard court as well.  With a backyard court you can still practice on your technique as well as being consistent with the distance and direction of your pitches.

 6.    What type of assistive devices will help me?         

Some of our ideas are just for the visually impaired and others for the totally blind.  And then there are suggestions that apply equally for both groups. 

 Assistive Devices for the Visually Impaired

 A can of white spray paint is the cheapest and best assistive device that I have used.  You can paint the stake white.  Then paint your horseshoes white so that you can identify them from your opponents.  You can also use the white paint to mark 30 and 27 feet, the pitching and foul line.

If you still can not see the white stake then try folding a towel over the backstop.  This will give you the direction and you will have to adjust for the distance.  If white doesn’t work for you, experiment with other bright colors.

The best assistive device is a pitch partner.  They can provide all kinds of input to assist you.

Assistive Devices for the Totally Blind

If you are practicing in the backyard without a pitch partner you may want to try the following, obtain a thin rubber door mat 3 feet in length.  Put it between the 30 and 27 foot mark.  If you are pitching with a club and there are other individuals pitching from the same distance they might object to the door mat.  You might install a tent stake at the 30 and 27 foot mark, both the carpet and the tent stakes will assist you with the direction.  Your pitch partner or opponent can take a horseshoe and ring it against the stake as a sound queue for direction.  Catalogs for the blind and visually impaired sell beepers that you can install on the backside of your backstop.  If you don’t have a backstop put your beeper behind the stake under a bike helmet or some other device that would not be damaged when hit by a horseshoe.  Again, the best assistive device is a pitch partner.  They can provide all kinds of input to assist you.

If you are a sighted individual and have not assisted blind individuals there are some basic rules to follow.  The American Foundation for the Blind Publication “What do you do when you meet a blind person?” covers the basics.  You can click on the link to read the article  What do you do when you see a blind person? - American Foundation for the Blind.

    5.    Where can I get a pitching partner?

 If there is a pitching club in your area that would be my first choice since one of their experienced players can help coach you as well.  Next, I would try to get a neighbor, spouse or friend involved.  If this fails see if there is a Lions Club http//www.lionsclubs.org/EN/index.shtml in your area.  They have a reputation for working with the blind and visually impaired.  Helen Keller referred to the Lion’s Club as “Knights for the blind”.

4.    Where can I find horseshoe sets? 

Sports Authority, WalMart, etc… usually have the sets.  I bought two stakes and four shoes as a set at Ace Hardware for approximately twenty dollars.  Once you get better or if you want to start with better equipment there a number of vendors available online.  However, many club members will have an extra set of horseshoes that they might sell to you. 

3.    How do I hold the horseshoe?

As you will read in the NHPA material there are several accepted methods for holding and pitching the shoe.  I am fairly new to horseshoe pitching but I believe the straight flip will be the easiest for blind and visually impaired players to pitch at a distance of thirty feet.  It will be easier for a non pitching individual like a neighbor to describe what your shoe is doing.  Once you have mastered this technique and play with some club members you may elect to experiment with some of the other techniques.

 2.     How will I know if I am doing OK?

 If you join a club the members will give you feedback and let you know how you are doing compared to other beginning sighted players.  Once our organization is established we will be able to let you compare your progress with other Midnite Ringers.  When I first started I developed a handicap of 84 and was pitching ringers about eight percent of the time.  After two months the handicap dropped to 79 and the percentage of ringer increased to 12 percent.  If you are just pitching in your backyard or at a park keep track of your ringers, this is a good way to measure your progress.  Most importantly check to see if your shoes are short or long from the stake or consistently to the left or to the right.  Before picking up your shoes, check to see if the opening of the shoes is facing the stake.  This is necessary for a ringer. 

1.    Do the Midnite Ringers hold their events in conjunction with the midnite hookers? 

 Absolutely not, we just howl at the moon and pitch shoes.