Emilio Estevez and the Ghost of the Horse: A Young Guns 3 Reflection

By now, we all know Emilio Estevez can ride.

From Young Guns to Young Guns II, he wasn’t just believable as Billy the Kid — he was electric. Flying across the desert, pistols blazing, Emilio made it look effortless, like he’d been in the saddle his whole life.
But the truth is, that smooth confidence we all recognize didn’t come easy. It was earned — and maybe even a little haunted.

The Early Days: When Horses Could Smell Fear

Back when the first Young Guns was gearing up, Emilio wasn’t exactly a horseman. Sure, he could sit a saddle, but ask him to gallop, wheel around, fire off a shot, and hit his mark all at the same time? That took work.
In a great old interview, Emilio laughed about those first rides:

"The horses could smell fear. I'd get on, and they'd just know I didn't belong there. It was like they were daring me to stay on."

It’s a hilarious mental image — young Emilio, future outlaw icon, giving a side-eye to a horse giving him the side-eye right back. But it was real. The horses tested him. The desert tested him.
And, true to form, he fought through it.

Long hours in the saddle, brutal heat, endless practice runs — by the time cameras rolled, he wasn’t just ready... he was Billy the Kid.

Master of the Saddle (Even If the Ghost Remains)

Fast forward to today.
As talk of Young Guns 3 has stirred excitement, fans know exactly what to expect from Emilio on horseback: that sharp, dangerous grin, the fast, fearless ride, the rebel spirit no one else could quite capture.
He doesn't look uncomfortable anymore. Not by a long shot.

But maybe — just maybe — there’s still a little ghost out there.
Not a ghost in the graveyard sense, but the ghost of that nervous kid, the one the horses used to laugh at. Maybe sometimes, right before a scene, Emilio can still hear a phantom snicker from the corral.
Maybe there’s a spooky old horse with big, silly eyes haunting Billy the Kid, daring him to remember just how far he’s come.

If so, he rides right through it — just like always.

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