Horse RAIsIneé IN CoLoNiIAL New ENGLAND 895 
the famous Narragansett pacers which were later developed in Rhode 
Island.” 
FREE RANGE AND ITS EFFECTS 
From the very earliest period of New England history it was cus- 
‘tomary to allow both horses and cattle to run at large on the public 
commons. At times some provision for a herdsman was made, but as 
the herds increased in numbers and the settlements became more scattered 
the animals began to roam more or less at will about the settled areas 
and often strayed away for considerable distances into the forest or 
were lost completely. Winthrop records a happening of this sort in a 
letter written to Governor Endicott on behalf of a widow whose horse 
had been impressed for military service. Pleading her need for the one 
that had been taken from her, he says, ‘‘ She hath another horse but 
has not seen him for several months ’’ (36). Strays of this sort were 
numerous and this often led to many difficulties of ownership, which in 
time compelled definite legislative provisions to be made. 
Where horse raising developed, as it did later, on the islands of Long 
Island Sound and on the water-guarded points and necks of Rhode 
Island, this free range was not a serious problem. But where the 
horses and cattle were running loose about the towns in a semi-wild 
state and in ever-increasing numbers, many difficulties were bound to 
arise. The chief trouble came from damage done to gardens and crops 
by herds of these equine and bovine marauders. At first “‘ all greate 
eattle ’’ were herded by day by a public herdsman, and the owners 
were held responsible for any harm inflicted by their animals after night- 
fall (87). But soon the burden was put on the other side, and in 
Massachusetts Bay, for example, in 1642 the court repealed the former 
act and provided that ‘‘ every man must now secure his own corn and 
meadow against damage ’’ (38). It was provided further that only in 
case animals running at large had broken through an admittedly strong 
fence could the person suffering the damage have any redress. Com- 
plaints for damages of this sort appear continually in the court records 
of all the colonies, and it was apparently a cause of endless litigation, 
which persisted until a late date. 
2A more detailed discussion of the origin of the Narragansett pacers is given on 
page 922. 
