Burney Chapman by K. Chapman,Simpson& Young DMV

    The first time I met Burney was at the AFA convention in Albuquerque in 1980. I had just finished a presentation and he introduced himself to me. We both knew each other were pilots and that is what our first conversation was about. Both of us flew Piper Cherokees and that was enough for an instant kinship. The horseshoeing bond came later.
    When I saw this long, tall Texan shoe that chronic lamintis mare on the stage at the convention in Houston a couple of years later, I knew this guy was a true horseman and understood lower limb anatomy and the pathology of the most crippling disease process affecting equines. All attending that lecture and demonstration were impressed, but only a small percentage truly understood the critical process Burney had so painstakingly tried to convey for the first time in public. A statement he made during that lecture, made a lasting impression on me. "Experience is just an accumulation of one man's mistakes." Revealing that he had performed his procedures on more than three hundred horses confirmed to me that this guy had made a lot of mistakes along the way and had empirical knowledge beyond the scope of any living person in this discipline. So many precise things had to be accomplished for any degree of success to be attained. For the next couple of years, Burney was frustrated by how many rushed into this arena and tried to improve on the shoes or just didn't get it at all. I did get it and became a disciple.
    I began to get my feet wet and incorporated the heart bar shoe into my curriculum at Walla Walla Community College. If this hadn't been a year-long course, I would have never have incorporated it into the therapeutic shoeing block of instruction. It was only discussed in my shorter courses and carefully observed with students who could assimilate the seriousness and skill needed in the long course. Students who had not attained the skill or knowledge of anatomy were discouraged from attempting to work with these unfortunate animals. Instead, they were advised to enlist the guidance of farriers from Burney's cadre, if a badly affected laminitis horse came into their business.
    The summer after the Houston convention, I hosted a weekend clinic for farrier instructors from several schools to participate in a hands-on session. We had two seriously chronic laminitis horses and chose to do the most seriously affected of the two. The ten year old AQHA gelding was a reining horse. Two local vets were a part of this clinic. Neither could be there when it was time to apply the heart bars to the resected feet. Without local anesthetics we were only able to get three shoes on the horse. I kept wondering, what would Burney do? The venerable Bill Miller solved the dilemma by just toughening it out and nailed the last one on; just as Burney had done at Houston. This horse was survivor and returned to work as a pleasure horse after about a year. As I had to do the follow-up work, I began to know that it wasn't my calling. Working on this poor horse, and several others, made me understand that I didn't enjoy being around these horses that resented my diligent efforts. They looked bad, smelled bad and acted bad. I often thought to myself, Burney Chapman is a very special, dedicated person with a true calling.
    Burney had a tremendous sense of humor. I remember a time at a clinic in Beaverton, Oregon. Burney had been working closely with his associate, Myron McLane. Myron had refined the making of the heart bar insert. He'd begun turning the ends outward where they were to be welded to the shoe. This improvement allowed for a more critical fit of the bar. Holding up a bar without the new alteration he asked, "How many of you have been making them this way?" As I raised my hand along with several others, I noticed Burney, who was standing behind Myron, holding his hand up with a sheepish grin on his face.
    Another time, at a clinic I was doing in Bolton, Massachusetts, an obnoxious guy was really pestering Burney. "I want to talk to you about one of them there laminated horses," he loudly announced. Burney stepped back, pushed his Stetson back on his head, looked the guy up and down and asked, "Is the SOB made out of plywood?" The clown disappeared.
    Charlie Brown, Myron, Burney and I were doing a clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona, for a foundation Dr. Jan Young was involved with several years ago. A bunch of us went out for dinner the first night at a pretty fair restaurant. Burney and Myron entertained everyone by having a raw oyster eating contest. I think it ended in a draw, but a whole bunch of those slimy creatures were consumed.
    For several years, I thought Burney was the most recognizable farrier figure in the world. It's no wonder the late Tex and Faye Parker immortalized him in the chorus of The Horseshoeing Song they wrote one night while they were taking Burney to do a critical mare somewhere in Nevada.

Chorus:

Now I'm not Burney Chapman

I don't make Jay Sharp's tools

Can't beat iron like Daniels

Ain't been to Beaston's schools

I'm givin' away my anvil

The tools are goin' too

For I finally met a bronco

This shoer couldn't shoe

They got lost that night! Burney told me later they got to laughing so hard, Tex missed an important turn. You just don't do that in Nevada in the middle of the night!

    Burney Chapman was a person who made a difference. His pursuit of the treatment of laminitis was never ending.
    I met Burney at the first Laminitis Symposium in Kentucky and realized that I knew nothing about a horse's foot. I had been working on a famous Arab stallion with farrier, Charlie Brown. Burney helped both of us with the case, no charge!
    I met Scott Simpson on the plane on the way home. He overheard me talking to another vet about my need to go to horseshoeing school, if I ever was going to learn about all this. Scott was sitting next to me. Coincidence??  So, off to the Northwest School of Horseshoeing I went.
    Soon after that, Burney invited me to, an invitation only, Mustad clinic in Florida. This was the first demonstration of their new glue on shoes. Years and cases went by and Burney became a very good professional and personal friend. For Burney's influence and all who taught me, I am grateful.
    I had seen Burney several times toward the end and was starting to collect heart bar shoes from his farrier friends to give to Burney. I only had Myron McLane's shoe at the time. When Burney passed on he was cremated with that shoe. At the funeral service, it was good to know Burney had made peace with his Maker. You know that hyphen between the birth year and death year on a tombstone? That sums up your whole life; that little: "Burney Chapman made a huge difference in the lives of many people and horses." He ran his race and died a sober Christian. May he rest in peace.

With great respect,
Jan Young, DVM

I (Kodi Chapman) never got the opportunity to meet Burney, although from what I know of him, I see him everyday through his sons and granddaughters. I have read everything I could get my hands on about Burney, my father-in-law. I’ve also heard stories told by Baker (my husband), Blane, Brice, Linda, and many of Burney’s friends and fellow horseshoers. Needless to say, I feel cheated for not having known such a man. On the other hand, Burney was cheated out of not seeing the men that his sons have turned out to be. Men that live by the old fashion morals and values of Burney’s time, men that have applied the knowledge of horses hooves and the problems that effect them, men that have magnetic personalities, and men that are passing all the lessons that their Dad taught them onto their own kids (all girls by the way).
A legend in the world of horseshoeing, Burney passed all of his knowledge and skill on to his sons, Blane, Brice, and Baker, who are all successful horseshoers. Each has their own horseshoeing business here in Lubbock, Texas.

Blane’s travels take him to New Mexico and the famous 6666 Ranch where his Dad shod horses for many years. He travels there once a week. Aside from shoeing horses, Blane is an auctioneer for different auctions. He has also participated in the Mustad-Capewell clinations program. Blane lives near Lubbock, in Shallowater, Texas. He has three daughters, Chancy, Cydnee, and Callie, ages 10, 7, and 5 respectfully. Blane has passed on his love for horses on to his daughters and they compete in various play days.

Brice lives in Lubbock with his wife, Tina and daughter, Grace (10 months). Aside from shoeing horses, Brice has a trick roping show that takes him all over the Nation. Brice and his companions, Crossfire (a horse), and Sooner (his Border collie dog) make many trips to a variety of events such as rodeos, drug free programs for schools and churches. This summer Brice performed at the White House for the President at the Presidential Barbeque.

Baker, my husband, shoes horses in and around Lubbock and New Mexico and when needed has traveled to other parts of the nation working on lame horses. He also goes with Blane to the 6666 every week. Baker and I have recently opened up Chapman Farrier Supply, Inc. here in Lubbock where we live with his daughter Hattie, age 7, who also has a love of horses.

Brandon, who is mentally handicapped, lives in a group home in Lubbock. Moose, as we all call him, is, as Burney has stated before, probably more stable than all of us. Moose loves his family and loves life in general.

Burney may be gone from here physically, but he left his witty sayings, his charisma, sense of humor and enthusiasm here with his sons who have passed those wonderful qualities on to their daughters. With Burney’s love of the Wild West, he would be tickled pink to see his sons and granddaughters when they go work cattle for my family in New Mexico.
Life is full here in Lubbock, Texas but Burney’s presence is truly missed. I think Burney would be proud of the family he and Linda created. The sons that he helped mold have grown up to be very upstanding men and the granddaughters he left behind are amazing little cowgirls. Although Burney was a legend in the profession of horseshoeing, perhaps the greatest legacy is the one he left behind in his family and I, for one, am blessed to be a part of this family.