By DOUG GRAVES
Ohio Correspondent

GOSHEN, Ohio — From a distance Tracey Romahr and Vicky Rhein look like Ohio county sheriffs. Up close, though, their uniforms represent the Goshen Horse Thief Detectives.

Two years ago, the city of Goshen erected a new police station. While volunteering to help transport boxes from the old premise, Romahr and Rhein came across documents that forever changed the lives of these two horse lovers.

“An old Goshen city constitution retrieved from the old station proved that the Goshen Horse Thief Detectives were first organized on Jan. 16, 1892,” Romahr said. “The group then chartered their constitution and bylaws in 1900. These men and women were an official arm of law enforcement and had the power to arrest horse thieves and other felons.”

This horse protection organization was dormant up until 2008. That’s when Romahr and Rhein decided to bring it back to life.
“We did our research and learned that this detective unit recovered stolen sheep, cattle, mules and horses,” said Romahr, who spent many hours on research. “Back in the 1800s there were gangs and counterfitters in Goshen, and they were running between Stone Lick Lake and Goshen Township. They thought the property owners couldn’t keep up with them. But they didn’t realize they were outnumbered and had no guns. That’s when a group banded together to take the community back and retrieve their stolen horses.

“Horse thievery isn’t as rampant as it was back then, but it still exists to this day. There are a lot of horses and horse owners in this three-county area and we want to let people know that our horses are being watched and protected.”

The Horse Thief Detective organization was national in scope around the turn of the century. In southwest Ohio alone there were 100 chapters. In the three-county area surrounding Goshen there were 10 such chapters.

According to Rhein, the Goshen Horse Thief Detectives have no legal jurisdiction and are not part of the Goshen Police Department.
“Our purpose was two-fold,” Romahr said. “First, we wanted to restore something from the past. Second, we wanted to bring attention to the horses in this area. There are so many horses and horse owners that this was just another way of getting these people together. This is just another community service organization to promote fun, friendship and camaraderie.”

And to guard against horse thieves. In Goshen horse owners are encouraged to micro chip or freeze brand their horses.
“They’re less likely to be stolen and they’re more easily traced,” Romahr said.

Others have gotten involved with this horse group. Today there are 80 members. And they do more than guard against horse thieves. They participate in area events, like the Light Up Goshen parade and Frontier Days, the popular summer festival. Last year, Romahr, Rhein and other members of this organization held the first Goshen Gallop, a parade of horses through the main streets of Goshen.
To learn more about the Goshen Horse Detectives go to www.horsethiefdetectives.com or write to Goshen Horse Thief Detectives, 6177 State Rt. 132, Goshen, OH 45122.