The Red Hook Society for the Apprehension and Detention of Horse Thieves is the oldest horse thief apprehension society in the United States. The society was formed at the Upper Red Hook Inn of Stephen Holmes on Oct. 10, 1796. That same day, the first notices were posted in the area of Red Hook, New York, warning would-be horse thieves that the society had been formed to stop them. Members are known as “riders” and must pay a $5 annual membership fee. Prior to 1956, only men were allowed to be members. The annual meeting takes place on the first Tuesday in October, and as of 2021, the organization had 106 members. The irony is that there’s no record of the society ever actually catching a horse thief. In the early days, the farther a rider rode in search of a missing horse, the more he was paid. There was also a bonus if he left the county. However, by 1990, the organization had decided that catching and arresting horse thieves was an activity best left to the professionals. The group has since become, more or less, a social gathering at best.
