Nathalee Taylor is inaccurate and
 untruthful in her letter to the editor!

To the editor:
As webmaster for www.BillyTheKidTrialRide.com , I believe I may have done some of my New Mexico friend’s a disservice. 

After reading a letter to the editor titled “Billy the Kid trail ride rough going”, written by Nathalee Taylor, I realized I had made a mistake in changing the name from its original form.

 “The Trail of Billy’s Last Ride” is much more accurate. A more accurate title for Taylor’s letter would have been, “Billy the Kid Trail Ride~ Do You Have the Right Stuff”!  

Since we’re speaking of accurate, Taylor was not truthful in her letter about the injured rider named Chris from last year’s ride. I’m qualified to report on this since I was also there and the person who took Chris to the hospital in Ruidoso. 

Chris had repeatedly refused to be taken to the hospital from the first hour of her falling off the horse through out the coming hours at the next camp when the trail boss insisted that she must go. This is a tough call to force someone to the hospital, who refuses to be taken to the ER.  

Folks involved in the western lifestyle are aware of the term, “Cowboy Up”.  Out west, we are inclined to take someone at their word that they feel they can go on even when the going gets tough. 

On this trail, we’ve had a woman in her mid 60’s finish the complete ride and return for a second year. Another rider without legs and even older has been on the ride every year. 

This is not a typical “Trail Ride” with one horse’s nose to the next one’s tail, but a historical ride through rough open country and uneven terrain. The rented horses are real working ranch horses who know their stuff and the spunk to do it. 

The injured lady had represented herself to be fit and a good rider. She was already almost 300 yards behind the main group when one of the wranglers rode up beside her and asked how she was doing. She mentioned that she was quitting the ride after just barely 1 ½ days. Since the next stop was only ½ hour away she was in agreement to continue to where there would be a vehicle to transport her to the next camp. 

Chris had been pulling back on her horse when he was trying to keep up with the pack, she let go too loose on the reins and they were off to the races. This would have been funny in one of my movies, but the trail boss and the wrangler, took this event seriously. He came back to help Chris’ after the fall and held her, keeping her still until she rested.  She felt she could get back in the saddle, “Cowboy Up”, and the trail boss walked along side her to see she that was secure before he mounted his horse.  She was able to ride to the picture taking location.

I took a panoramic picture (it’s on the web site) with Chris standing beside her horse and she had no marks to her face and later at the hospital was only treated for a back injury. She had no bruises on her face and spoke quite well for someone that according to Taylor “fractured her cheek bone and a bone in her nose”.  

The ER doctor was giving his recommendations to Chris and she was speaking over him, I asked her to please listen a bit. When she called me two months later to thank me for staying with her the entire night at the hospital, I asked if she had followed the doctor’s advice. 

Chris did not get the recommended injections that can plump-up compressed discs. That’s her business. We  made it trail ride business to stay with her and take her to where she wanted to go, back to Lincoln where her SUV was parked and where she said a friend would pick her up. I take exception with  Taylor’s claim that we dumped Chris in Lincoln! I guess that could be the claim if she was left alone at the hospital and took off without her!  

Taylor represented herself a historical writer and was given a discount both years she was on the ride and yet she complains about price. This ride crosses 24 ranches and the folks who host us overnight receive up to $1000 for fees. No other trail ride has the expenses or the mission of this ride.

The Billy the Kid Trail Ride continued the school program even after grants dried up two years ago. This year on April 28^th, we are working to develop a special event for Lincoln to help launch the spring tourism season. 

If Taylor can’t get the facts straight that she herself claims to have witnessed, I only wonder how “historically accurate", her book will be.  

Taylor was right about one thing. Should the Billy the Kid Trail Ride continue? No, not for her!

You on the other hand might might have the "Right Stuff" and be "Cowboy Up" enough for "The Trail of Billy's Last Ride" alias "The Billy the Kid Trail Ride".