Strathmore Ag Society announces construction of local horseshoe pits

By John Watson Local Journalism initiative Reporter

The Strathmore and District Agricultural Society (SDAS) has both received funding for and will be constructing horseshoe pits within the Ag grounds this summer.

According to SDAS CEO Ryan Schmidt, the idea was one brought forward by and significantly advocated for by a community member, prior to approval.

“I have to give a lot of credit to a community member who took the initiative to get somebody to build horseshoe pits … we took this to our board and discussed it and found a great spot for the horseshoe pits,” said Schmidt. “There will be eight horseshoe courts and a storage shed and we should have those up and running probably in June. We’re very thankful to the New Horizons for Seniors program which awarded us a $20,000 grant to build them.”

The game of horseshoes sees players throwing horseshoes at a stake in the ground from a distance of 40 feet. Points are scored by players whose horseshoes are closer to the stake than their opponents’ so long as they are within six inches of the stake.

The pits will be placed just north of the baseball diamonds with access through the walkway to the baseball concession and washrooms.

According to Schmidt, there is also an opportunity for hosting competitions once the pits are fully constructed.

“There is actually an Alberta Horseshoe Pitching Association with leagues all over and they actually have a provincial championship, (and) a Western Canadian championship,” explained Schmidt. “We would also like to open it up to having a youth night and a senior’s night where people come and try it out for free, but obviously, the league will be running as well at the site.”

The project was funded through the New Horizons for Seniors program, which was awarded to the Agricultural Society.

“One of the benefits of the horseshoe pits is they will be available to campers, including those campers at the Strathmore Stampede as something extra to do while they are staying at the grounds,” said Schmidt, who expects the project to be moving forward very soon.