CANADA Canada - Ben Tyner, 32, cowboy, his horse returned w/o him, Merritt, British Columbia, 26 Jan 2019

[Concernedmamaof3]

Idk. Info is so limited. In my heart, I hope a large, local posse have saddled up & are searching. I think someone is, do you? There’s no law preventing a cowboy from riding.

With all the talk of tensions rising at the ranch, I worry that maybe some don't want him to be found. MOO

 

[Trudie]

With all the talk of tensions rising at the ranch, I worry that maybe some don't want him to be found. MOO

I do think large farms/ranches change management frequently. In LEX, KY area, you can meet John Doe, stud manager at ABC farm & 6 months later learn he’s now stud manager at XYZ farm. There’s a manager for every aspect of the farm from landscaping/grounds to the GM.
I think guys like B sell their strengths to the farm owner & they bring them in. Like any other biz, ranches are always looking to increase revenue. If things are going good, there wouldn’t be openings, imo. I doubt B had any reservations about NR. He’s been around enough I would think he thoroughly investigated NR & was aware of problems.
I worry about someone with a scope shooting him from afar. Maybe not wanting to kill him, just anyone associated with NR.

 

[jewelsmac]

The fund raising effort mentioned on FB seems to be successful, looks like an independent search effort is continuing..i hope this is true

 

[?mysterian?]

I don't know if this is the same for other horsie people, but also I have never nor has anyone I worked with ever sustained an injury that fully incapacitated them from being thrown. I am highly embarrassed to say I have been thrown or had to bail (one time) too many times to count on fingers and toes. However if he was near cliffs or drop offs, that could be tragic. I have to give props to those of you who are never thrown, truly. I self taught riding and jumping bareback and spend many trips into the dirt. That being said, I learned how to fall. I think most horsie people learn how to fall good if that makes sense, to go with it. I still have hope (even though if he went off a hillside or cliff, he is lost to the weather if not the fall) I have hope he is dug in somewhere. I know its probably false hope, but I cannot keep from checking back, I still feel he is going to get himself out of this. Oh and when I worked at Pen Mor farms, I ate, drank and breathed horses. I had aquaintances at work, but no time for friends or a life. Seriously. My thoughts are with his family and those who love him....IMHO

Unfortunately, the actor Christopher Reeve was thrown from his horse and became a quadraplegic. He has since died. I've known people that rode horses before they walked and got thrown off when their horse spooked and they sustained a head injury and died.

I'm afraid that now Ben is getting in the range of time since going missing that, if he did survive whatever happened, he's running out of time to survive further on his own without food/water/shelter.

 

[zecats]

Unfortunately, the actor Christopher Reeve was thrown from his horse and became a quadraplegic. He has since died. I've known people that rode horses before they walked and got thrown off when their horse spooked and they sustained a head injury and died.

I'm afraid that now Ben is getting in the range of time since going missing that, if he did survive whatever happened, he's running out of time to survive further on his own without food/water/shelter.

I have ridden horses most of my life as well, and owned my own horse for a while. He was a pleasure. Friendly, cooperative, affectionate in the way a horse can be...trained to ride English as well as Western. I have mentioned before on this thread about falling once when we were running across a field and he turn to head left (suddenly) while my body continued to go straight. I was wearing a helmet, tied to English riding , but I always wore it in the fields as well. I hit my head pretty hard and the helmet actually smacked against the ground. That would have been my skull if not for the helmet.

All this talk of falling or not falling is neither here nor there. However it leads me to consider that the possibility that even Ben, an experienced horseman, could have fallen, been thrown, dismounted and run over or stepped on by a panicky flight-induced horse. One just never knows to anticipate every single thing that could go wrong. JMO

Wherever he is and whatever happened, I hope he is found so his family can have the answers they deserve. Maybe he'll be found safe and then we would have an awesome miracle.

 

[Trudie]

Unfortunately, the actor Christopher Reeve was thrown from his horse and became a quadraplegic. He has since died. I've known people that rode horses before they walked and got thrown off when their horse spooked and they sustained a head injury and died.

I'm afraid that now Ben is getting in the range of time since going missing that, if he did survive whatever happened, he's running out of time to survive further on his own without food/water/shelter.

Yea, that was very tragic. I was always bothered to see Christopher on horseback, he always appeared off balance, imo. It’s important for the rider & horse to be one, imo. Some people never learn to sit properly of find center of balance. It’s like roller skating or riding a bike, a person either catches on or they don’t. It’s also not easy to teach someone to ride.
I agree about the weather, it’s so brutal. How long, w/o shelter can one last? Not long. And, w/o his horse & any provisions he may have had in saddle bags, is a double whammy.
I remain hopeful only because from what I’ve read, Ben is no stranger to the elements. But, we’ve passed the week mark. I just do t see why the search teams can’t get acovered wagon or two to pull provisions & continue with the search instead of starting fresh.

 

[Trudie]

I fail to nderstand how anyone could restrict Kim R from riding & searching. Or, wth they’d turn anyone fit for the search, away? I’d want him searching for me. I mean he’s out there at 5:30 a.m.? He’s tough, imo.

If anyone knows, is the search within the interior NR property? If so, I guess they could keep Kim from being on private property.

 

[jewelsmac]

I fail to nderstand how anyone could restrict Kim R from riding & searching. Or, wth they’d turn anyone fit for the search, away? I’d want him searching for me. I mean he’s out there at 5:30 a.m.? He’s tough, imo.

If anyone knows, is the search within the interior NR property? If so, I guess they could keep Kim from being on private property.

You would think you would want all the help you could get, especially someone who seems so skilled

 

[Trudie]

You would think you would want all the help you could get, especially someone who seems so skilled

Exactly. Is there perhaps some animosity surrounding
Kim R & NR, or what? With the evil elements, imo, everyone capable of searching was needed. So much time passed before the horse was found, time was already running out, I fear.
There is very little info about NR.

 

[superbee]

I think general knowledge is you don’t tie a horse by its rein with a bit in its mouth. Maybe still done by old school cowboys but I cringe when I see it in movies. I’ll see if I can find the picture and how he had it tied.

ETA: found it. Even a loose wrap like that makes me cringe. I would never do it personally and I wouldn’t let anyone tie my horses that way. May be a personal preference and me being overly cautious. I see one tied to fence that way too. Also see a picture of him riding with a hackamore.

I am wondering what Ben usually did with his reins. Did he usually tie up his horse, or just when he knew his horse was safe? Tied one rein, or two? If one, which one? Always the same one? Was his horse taught to 'ground tie'? I suspect it was, being he was hired to be the cattle boss. If he had to jump off to do something where there was nothing to tie to, his horse could wander off.

Ben's horse was found with a broken rein. Which one? If it is the rein Ben did not usually use to tie, I wonder if someone else tied up his horse? They may not have known or cared which rein Ben used to tie his horse or if he did at all, or thought of the importance at the time. But it may be a clue if the broken rein is one that Ben never used to tie his horse. Especially if Ben's horse would ground tie, and Ben would not tie his horse if he thought it was not safe to do so.

My relative was a cop, and often told me that it is often 'not what is done, but the difference in what is done'.

 

[MsFacetious]

Portabello reminded me of a horrific accident from when I was a kid. A man went riding in an area he knew well and grew up in. Went up the mountain right behind his house. He was on a trail with a gorgeous waterfall below.

The theory is that the horse spooked from the sound of a new pipe/vent put in for the waterfall. They went off the trail into the waterfall and both died. I think they determined that the horse spooked because of tracks. It's been a while though.

It was horribly tragic. The bodies were found by kids who were friends with his kids. It was awful.

I have always gotten the worst injuries when I STAYED ON rather than coming off. Broke my sternum once when she bucked and the saddle horn hit me. However I do know that when riding in the wilderness there are other hazards that can make a fall more dangerous.

I hate the idea of him out there waiting for help.

 

[Sillybilly]

Hey folks ... a couple of reminders:

Fundraising links and/or discussion are not allowed.

At this point it is not known if this is a case of misadventure or if foul play is involved. Regardless, do not make accusations or insinuations against any individuals who are not an officially named POI/suspect.

Please keep the long personal anecdotes to a bare minimum. They distract from the case at hand and can end up derailing the thread, requiring extensive cleanup.

Thanks.

 

[ElaineD]

Apparently he knows the area very well—a trapper and hunter there for many years

I'll re-check but I believe I saw somewhere 800-900 ac.
Not huge like Douglas Lake Ranch nearby that has 1.2 million ac.

Think I read there’s 1,000 AC in hay alone.

 

[ElaineD]

Portabello reminded me of a horrific accident from when I was a kid. A man went riding in an area he knew well and grew up in. Went up the mountain right behind his house. He was on a trail with a gorgeous waterfall below.

The theory is that the horse spooked from the sound of a new pipe/vent put in for the waterfall. They went off the trail into the waterfall and both died. I think they determined that the horse spooked because of tracks. It's been a while though.

It was horribly tragic. The bodies were found by kids who were friends with his kids. It was awful.

I have always gotten the worst injuries when I STAYED ON rather than coming off. Broke my sternum once when she bucked and the saddle horn hit me. However I do know that when riding in the wilderness there are other hazards that can make a fall more dangerous.

I hate the idea of him out there waiting for help.

 

[Sillybilly]

Thinking of Ben being on Global tv talking about the church arsons and justice, and wondering if he thought he'd go have a little Sunday chat with the guy who was charged with the arsons.

 

[doodles1211]

Thinking of Ben being on Global tv talking about the church arsons and justice, and wondering if he thought he'd go have a little Sunday chat with the guy who was charged with the arsons.

So here is the googlemap that someone posted on the find page. It shows where that church is that was burned down. Dang close to the ranch. Does not sound as though he went that far from the ranch to start off on his ride.


Google Maps

MISSING: BEN TYNER

Merritt man arrested in connection to string of church arsons

 

[Deleted member 238131]

With all the talk of tensions rising at the ranch, I worry that maybe some don't want him to be found. MOO

This is very unlikely.

If he is injured & couldn’t find shelter, idk how he could survive.
Why is there so little info about NR?
I think Ben’s one disadvantage is the fact he is in new territory, he hasn’t been with NR long enough to know the “good, bad & ugly”.
If he did set out alone on his day off, I think he was in exploratory mode, perhaps. Out for a leisurely ride to an area he hadn’t yet discovered. Jmo

NR has 1000's of acres of private and crown land they graze cattle on; and also has a number of cowcamps, besides the homeranch. I will try to find the landmass as many people seem to be interested in this ... it may help to recognize that it's not a small outfit and there's a lot of land to get acquainted with. NR is the 2nd largest cattle outfit in the Nicola Valley (DLR being the largest & running 20,000 head).

 

[enelram]

I've seen several articles that state the church is on N Ranch property. Apparently there's a lot of history about the settlement
where the ranch and church are.
Interesting that BT was the spokesperson in the news video
about the fire. Was Ben part of the fire investigation?
Did the suspect have anything to do with the ranch?
why the anger against the old church?
Wonder also about skills of local LE in investigating crimes.

 

[doodles1211]

So here is the googlemap that someone posted on the find page. It shows where that church is that was burned down. Dang close to the ranch. Does not sound as though he went that far from the ranch to start off on his ride.
View attachment 167522

Google Maps

MISSING: BEN TYNER

Merritt man arrested in connection to string of church arsons

I forgot to mention that Ben is on this video of the church arson (the very end of it)

 

[Deleted member 238131]

I've seen several articles that state the church is on N Ranch property. Apparently there's a lot of history about the settlement
where the ranch and church are.
Interesting that BT was the spokesperson in the news video
about the fire. Was Ben part of the fire investigation?
Did the suspect have anything to do with the ranch?
why the anger against the old church?
Wonder also about skills of local LE in investigating crimes.

The arsonist is a local fellow and had tried to set fire to 4 different churches that night. He was successful with 2 of them staying lit; one being the historic church of the old townsite, Nicola.

Years ago the same guy burnt down the movie theatre on purpose ... although he claimed it was an accident at the time. (BT had nothing to do with the investigation; it's just he's a ranch employee and I suppose, his position with NR has the responsibility of being the spokesperson for the ranch). There's a church in town that sustained significant damage and the congregation is now holding their services at a temporary location. The fireman were attending to that fire when the call from Nicola came in about the Murray Church being on fire ... it all happened the same night within a very short time frame.