The society was formed at the Upper Red Hook Inn of Stephen Holmes on October 10, 1796.
[1] On October 28, 1796, 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.
[2] Each year it features a horse-related speaker and offers a $500 scholarship to a student who wishes to study "an equine field.
[3][2] By 1990, the organization had decided that catching and arresting horse thieves was an activity best left to professionals.
[4] In early days, however, the further a rider rode in search of a missing horse, the more he was paid.