How do you build a backyard horseshoe pit?

To build a backyard horseshoe pit, build two identical wooden boxes, dig two trenches, place the boxes in the trenches on top of landscape fabric, drive stakes into the trenches 40 feet apart from each other, and fill with sand. The project takes about three hours to complete.

1. Gather the building materials

   Gather pressure-treated lumber, fasteners, a saw, sand, stakes, a sledgehammer, a shovel and landscaping fabric.

2. Build the boxes

   For a pair of 36-by-48-inch boxes, cut four pieces of lumber measuring 36 inches, and four pieces measuring 48 inches. Fasten the pieces together to make two identical rectangular boxes.

3. Set the boxes

   Dig two trenches, and lay landscaping fabric at the bottom of each trench to suppress weed growth and prevent sand loss. Sit each box on top of the fabric, placing them flush to the ground and level.

4. Set the stakes

   Drive the stakes into the ground with your sledgehammer approximately 21 inches from the front of the box, and ensure that they are approximately 14 or 15 inches high and leaning slightly toward the other pit. The stakes should be 40 feet apart for a regulation pit.

5. Add the sand

   Fill the pits with sand. Depending on the size of the boxes, expect to use several bags of sand for each box.