Ax-throwing venue The Horse’s Axe is now open in Historic Downtown McKinney.

The background

The business is owned by Jay Pearson and Andrew Duncan, former educators who met while teaching at a middle school in Frisco. The pair started ax throwing together at the original Denton location of The Horse’s Axe during the COVID-19 pandemic.

They often spoke about opening different businesses but hadn’t settled on a particular business idea until they found out the founder of The Horse’s Axe was interested in selling franchises.

“I was booking [ax-throwing] reservations, and I noticed, ‘now franchising,’” Duncan said. “I told [Pearson]; I guess the rest is history.”


The details

The business offers ax throwing along with pool tables; drinks, including beer, wine and cider; and snacks. The shop also offers The Horse’s Axe merchandise, including shirts, tumblers, bags, hats and more.

The venue’s six throwing lanes include games projected on the target to play while ax throwing. The targets are made of end-grain wood, which helps the ax sink further into the target, Pearson said.

“We’re not in the ax-throwing business; we're in the ax-sticking business,” Pearson said. “You could throw stuff at your wall all day long, and if it doesn't stick, you're just not having any fun.”


The Horse’s Axe offers guests the option to buy their own throwing ax along with having it personalized and laser engraved on-site. The two-story space can also accommodate parties and events, Duncan said.

Diving in deeper

The duo chose the downtown location as a means to bring an entertainment option to east McKinney. They hope to attract visitors to downtown who are already shopping and dining on the square, Pearson said.

“I noticed that [when] you go on Google Maps and search ax throwing, there was like a 10-mile void centered [in downtown McKinney],” Duncan said.


The venue allows guests age 8 and older to participate in ax throwing and also has foam “pony axes” for younger guests to participate, according to the business’s website. The owners also plan to host an ax-throwing tournament, called the Thursday Throwdown, on the first Thursday of each month.

“We want to build a community of [ax] throwers,” Duncan said.