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

[Deleted member 238131]

I looked at your map and it's close but off .... the horse was found near the power lines (you have circled in red) and the home ranch is Nicola proper (right beside Nicola Lake) but the map of SAR and RCMP overlay should be nudged up more to the north and dragged to the east. I'm not sure if I'm making sense, so sorry if clear as mud. They were really focussing on Swakum Mountain but the wrong side of it. This is where I've heard that they really should have focussed more up and over the other side of Swakum, as well as to the west....towards Revelle Lake, Helmer Lake, pipeline area.

 

[Trudie]

I looked at your map and it's close but off .... the horse was found near the power lines (you have circled in red) and the home ranch is Nicola proper (right beside Nicola Lake) but the map of SAR and RCMP overlay should be nudged up more to the north and dragged to the east. I'm not sure if I'm making sense, so sorry if clear as mud. They were really focussing on Swakum Mountain but the wrong side of it. This is where I've heard that they really should have focussed more up and over the other side of Swakum, as well as to the west....towards Revelle Lake, Helmer Lake, pipeline area.

May I ask, how far are you from NR?

 

[Deleted member 238131]

I see what you mean. Looking at a Google road map, it shows Logan Lake at a big curve on 97C with Mamette Lake down lower near the same road. All of it is northwest of the ranch land. Do we know where on that land are the main housing and barns of the ranch located?

the main ranch is below the Coquihalla Hwy and right beside Nicola Lake. There are roads leading directly from the ranch that go directly north that takes you to the rangeland. NR housing is right at the old Nicola townsite on Hwy 5A (aka Merritt-Kamloops Hwy).

 

[Trudie]

View attachment 167627 I tried my hand at overlaying the photo of the search map on top of the Google map image posted (on the approved FB) showing where the horse was found. By lining up and matching the bare land strips on the right, I believe it is correct. Nicola Ranch is far right, circled in blue. The red marker is where the horse was said to be found. (The horse location is NOT the one quoted by the law enforcement spokesperson saying it was found by Meritte Lake. That area is much farther to the Northwest and I'm not sure what to think of it. But I am fairly confident that I have placed the search area correctly.)

Good job, tysm!

 

[Deleted member 238131]

May I ask, how far are you from NR?

A short drive (minutes); I live in the Nicola Valley.

 

[Trudie]

A short drive (minutes); I live in the Nicola Valley.

Do you have horses..
Appx how much snow on ground?
Tysm
We expect you here 24/7.lol, kidding!
So awesome to have a local.
As a cowgirl, this breaks my heart.

 

[cutter99]

Lurker and horseperson chiming in here... like most cowboys, he was not wearing a safety helmet, which greatly increases the chances for serious head injury. While it is certainly possible to be gravely injured in other ways riding, head injuries are entirely too common...

Welcome not that girl!

Sadly, helmets are still taboo to a large number of horsemen, even though they are proven to be very effective.

 

[Deleted member 238131]

Do you have horses..
Appx how much snow on ground?
Tysm
We expect you here 24/7.lol, kidding!
So awesome to have a local.
As a cowgirl, this breaks my heart.

Well, thanks...I've been following closely and feeling quite emotional about this situation. I"m familiar with the land and have done a bit of riding through that area. I no longer live/work on ranches and have no stock but I know that the cowboys that have been out looking are more than well-versed with that country and will be giving their best efforts!

We don't have a lot of snow on the ground; nothing like a typical winter even the higher elevations those that are sledding are likely hitting debris even on the trails. But it's icy and windy and even searching you'd likely want to have a fire going.

One hopes that he has been able to build himself a super well-insulated snow covered hole to make it through this.

 

[Trudie]

Saddle up, Anna! Someone has an extra mount!
If you’ve been out & about, how do locals feel?

 

[Songbird1973]

Not Meritte Lake... it's name is Mamette Lake. Mamette is a lake but they were referring to the Mamette Lk Hwy -- Highway #97C -- which takes off of the #8 leading to Logan Lake (the town). One can access the landmarks they refer to via the 97D ,,, and can travel up to Swakum mountain and right back down to NR, too.

Thanks for catching that. It was a memory error on my part as I had already located the area referred to.

 

[Deleted member 238131]

Saddle up, Anna! Someone has an extra mount!
If you’ve been out & about, how do locals feel?

Most that I've communicated with are concerned and just wanting to get him home. I have heard and know a few that have def expressed disappointment as they feel the search was misfocussed, and even though SAR are great there wasn't a lot of getting off the trails and the roads and getting in to the undergrowth and forested area. But this is just what Ive heard ... personally I can't see the people that I know have been out there not looking up, down and underneath!

 

[Deleted member 238131]

Saddle up, Anna! Someone has an extra mount!
If you’ve been out & about, how do locals feel?

Also, there are hunters, loggers and the general community wanting to find him...don't want to just credit the cowboys! However, those are guys that know the country, the fence lines and have all worked on these ranches chasing cows for years.

I always remember this one guy from Texas wanting to know how in the world one even catches a steer with all the trees in the way, lol.

 

[Deleted member 238131]

Saw this on a social media post: (FB: Missing Ben Tyner)

UPDATE: FEB-05-2019 @ 12:00 PM

The family is currently gathering resources and supports and it will take some time for them to sort through them and determine the direction they feel is best.
Everyone's concern and care is deeply appreciated but please, if you have questions or concerns direct them to this group and not to the family -- they are being overwhelmed with PM's.
If you have ideas for the family, please post them in the IDEAS thread. That makes it much easier for the family to find. If you accidentally post in the wrong thread and I see it, I will move your comment to the IDEA thread for you.

 

[Trudie]

Every searcher is vital. A cowboy is in a brotherhood, tho. Just like police, firemen, athletes and other sectors.
A cowboy can use his shills to think “what would I do, where would I be riding as I’m searching for strays, easiest spot for my horse, etc.
I was also wondering, in the interior of the farm, where Ben was riding, other horses are running, correct? Again, tysm

 

[zecats]

Every searcher is vital. A cowboy is in a brotherhood, tho. Just like police, firemen, athletes and other sectors.
A cowboy can use his shills to think “what would I do, where would I be riding as I’m searching for strays, easiest spot for my horse, etc.
I was also wondering, in the interior of the farm, where Ben was riding, other horses are running, correct? Again, tysm

Did anyone else ever locate those strays that Ben supposedly went to round up? Did he even know where to look for them I wonder? Or was it a matter of just riding off and seeing where they might be?

If known, I hope they've searched those areas.

 

[Trudie]

Did anyone else ever locate those strays that Ben supposedly went to round up? Did he even know where to look for them I wonder? Or was it a matter of just riding off and seeing where they might be?

If known, I hope they've searched those areas.

Well, I’m confused about the strays. Did NR have cattle missing? Where I live, when cattle go missing, they’ve generally been stolen. If NR actually had strays, they had no feed, imo, maybe a few weeds and leaves. So, they should have headed back. Is the ranch large enough Ben had yet to explored it & was more pleasure riding? Does anyone know? Confusing.......
I’m sure he loved to ride & did so daily. He probably didn’t have a lot to do on off days.

 

[zecats]

Interesting info here about the strays, the search, the horse.

Search for missing Merritt cowboy suspended

"They say the large-scale search included more than 19 teams from across the province, including dog tracking, air support, drones, horseback riders and volunteers from the community who covered larges areas of North Merritt.

RCMP said earlier this week that other ranchers believe Tyner rode to an area known as Swakum Ridge, northwest of Merritt, and may have been searching for stray cattle belonging to the ranch.

Kim Robinson, who is a tracker from the area, says he found Tyner’s horse at around 5:30 the morning of Jan. 28."

Robinson says the gelding was “a little bit jumpy” and one of its reins was broken.

“The horse was dressed up nice. It had a good saddle and stuff on it. It was somebody who was riding it who knew about horses and knew about riding.”

 

[Trudie]

Also.....I’m kinda surprised Ben set out alone, in adverse weather. All farm hands couldn’t be off, the same day. Wonder why he didn’t have one of his guys tag along?

 

[zecats]

Also.....I’m kinda surprised Ben set out alone, in adverse weather. All farm hands couldn’t be off, the same day. Wonder why he didn’t have one of his guys tag along?

Again, how does anyone know for sure that he went to search for strays? Some comments suggest he would have/should have taken his dog(s) if this were the case, as they are most likely herding dogs.

Or...if this was just a restful leisurely ride for enjoyment on his day off. So much mixed up info about his disappearance and the reasons he left on that Sunday morning. (Even that is in question.)

 

[Trudie]

Interesting info here about the strays, the search, the horse.

Search for missing Merritt cowboy suspended

"They say the large-scale search included more than 19 teams from across the province, including dog tracking, air support, drones, horseback riders and volunteers from the community who covered larges areas of North Merritt.

RCMP said earlier this week that other ranchers believe Tyner rode to an area known as Swakum Ridge, northwest of Merritt, and may have been searching for stray cattle belonging to the ranch.

Kim Robinson, who is a tracker from the area, says he found Tyner’s horse at around 5:30 the morning of Jan. 28."

Robinson says the gelding was “a little bit jumpy” and one of its reins was broken.

“The horse was dressed up nice. It had a good saddle and stuff on it. It was somebody who was riding it who knew about horses and knew about riding.”

Who knows about the strays? I wanna know, is there an issue with missing cattle? Did Ben ride someone else’s land? Is Swakum Ridge on NR land or off? Seems so much mystery surrounds NR. I’m getting a bad vibe.
How & why do other ranchers know what he might’ve been doing? Did cows leave NR & NR received complaints?
As far as the horse being “jumpy”, KR does not know the horse, has no idea if he’s flighty or not. A riderless horse, fully tacked, usually runs like he’s in the derby, lol, I’ve always figured they know they’re wrong.