Inside The World Of New York’s “Horse Thief Apprehension Society”

As one of the oldest states in America, New York has history dating back hundreds of years. There a buildings, clubs, and movements that date back to the 18th century, still active today.

One such society is one of the most interesting pieces of history I've ever heard, so let's talk about New York's Horse Thief Apprehension Society.

Red Hook Society for the Apprehension and Detention of Horse Thieves

The society was formed on October 10, 1796 in what is now known as Red Hook, NY (the town wasn't founded for another 17 years). On October 28th, the following bulletin was posted across the settlement:

HORSE THIEVES! Public notice is hereby given that a Society is established in the upper part of Rhinebeck for the sole purpose of recovering Stolen Horses and Apprehending the Thieves, and to carry the same into effect, a number of riders are engaged to go immediately in pursuit of stolen horses, at the expense of the society, for which adequate funds are established.

The organization worked by getting local horse owners to sign up for membership, and then protecting their members against losses, basically an early insurance firm. If a horse in the area was stolen, members had to be ready to ride at a moment's notice. to catch the thieves.

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RHSADHT Today

There are around 100 riders who pay a $5 annual fee and meet once a year on the first Tuesday of October. While there has been no record of the society actually catching a horse thief, they still remain strong and active to this day.

In 1990, the then-president, Woody Klose stated that the reason no thieves had been caught is because "thieves are so terrified of us that they leave our horses alone".

Seems they're still doing a pretty good job 230 years later. When was the last time you heard of a horse theft?