Speculating here
For me, this has always been related to Ben’s position at NR.
Let’s assume Ben was riding Gunny, close by the ranch at 2. Toss out the possibility he was headed to the mountain 2 hours before dark. If someone killed him, they had to have a stall or a trailer to immediately put Gunny in.
Now, assume Ben never rode, but was killed close to his home, maybe in a barn or outbuilding. The perp also had to have access to Ben’s tack & know Bens horse.
IMO, the list of suspects is very short with one primary suspect & another person as an accessory.
What is one the first things an astute business manager would do after settling in? IMO an inventory of the herd & equipment. Did Ben’s findings cause dissension?
Was Ben happy with the established team already in place? Or, was he planning to make some changes?
All moo & speculation.