These two are close relatives. Both throw a small metal object underarm at a target on the ground, both give three points for the hole and one for staying on, and both play to 21. If you are good at one you are already decent at the other.
The spec sheet
The published figures
| Washer toss | Horseshoes | |
|---|---|---|
| Governing body | None | NHPA |
| Distance | About 20 ft by convention | 40 ft, stake front to stake front |
| Shorter option | Move the boxes | Published foul lines at 27 ft and 37 ft |
| Target | Two birch boxes with a cup | Steel stake in a clay or sand pit |
| Projectile | 8 plastic-coated steel washers | Shoes up to 2 lb 10 oz |
| Ground works | None — set the boxes down | Two dug pits, 43 to 72 in long |
| Assembly | Arrives fully assembled | Pit construction |
| Players | 2 or 4 | 2 or 4 |
The decision
Which one belongs in your yard
Renting, or unwilling to dig: washer toss
Two boxes that sit on grass and lift off again leave no trace. This is the version of this game shape available to people who cannot alter the ground — see yard games for renters.
A permanent spot and adults: horseshoes
Forty feet, real pits, a published rulebook and shoes that outlive the house. If you have the room and the intention, it is the better game, and how to build a horseshoe pit covers what building it involves.
Mixed ages and a small lawn: washer toss again
Half the distance and a fraction of the weight makes it the more inclusive of the two, and it fits yards that 40 feet of pitch simply rules out.
Why the skill transfers
The scoring is nearly identical
Put the two scoring systems side by side and the family resemblance is obvious — which is also why a household rarely needs both.
| Washer toss | Horseshoes | |
|---|---|---|
| In the hole | 3 points | Ringer, 3 points |
| On the target | 1 point | Closest shoe within 6 in, 1 point |
| Game to | 21 by convention | Cancellation play to 40 points, or a 40 or 50 shoe limit |
| Who scores | One side per round | One side per inning, with ringers canceling |
| Published? | No | Yes, by the NHPA |
The difference that matters is the last row. Horseshoes scoring is fixed by a rulebook you can look up mid-argument; washer toss scoring is whatever the two of you agreed twenty minutes ago. For a household that likes settled rules, that alone is the deciding factor. The full published version is in horseshoe rules, and the wider look at how these systems compare is in yard game scoring systems.
The other side
Where to buy the other one
The card at the top of this page covers one side of the comparison. This is our current pick for the other, ranked on published specifications rather than on play we have not done.
Best overall
St. Pierre Professional Horseshoe Set
St. Pierre
Drop-forged steel shoes built to the NHPA's published weight limit, which is the one spec that decides whether a shoe behaves like a competition shoe.
Skip this if
Skip this if children will be anywhere near the pits. A 2 lb 10 oz steel shoe thrown 40 ft is the most dangerous object on this website.
FAQ
Questions people actually ask
Is washer toss the same as horseshoes?
Which needs less space?
Which is better for older players?
Why you can check our work
We have not played these. Every figure above is copied from a manufacturer's published listing or a governing body's published rules, and named so you can verify it. Where a maker publishes nothing, the field is blank rather than filled in. How we pick explains the whole method, including what would change a recommendation.
Read next
Related pages
Picks
Compare yard games
Twenty-one head-to-heads with the verdict first and the published specs behind it.
Picks
Washer toss
Cornhole's geometry in about a third of the space — and the one game here with no governing body at all.
Picks
Horseshoes
40 feet between stakes, a built clay or sand pit, and a 2 lb 10 oz weight limit straight from the NHPA.
Guide
How to build a horseshoe pit
Every published NHPA dimension for a backyard court, in the order you need them.
Comparison
Cornhole vs washer toss
The same 3-and-1 scoring to 21 — one with an ACL rulebook, one with regional conventions.
Sources
Every figure on this page is copied from one of these sources. If you find one that is wrong or out of date, tell us and we will fix it.