Billy Klapper: The true life of the legendary spur maker celebrated in Yellowstone
The premiere of Yellowstone season 5B was dedicated to Klapper
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Your support makes all the difference.Yellowstone has returned to Paramount+ for the start of its final season, and the premiere featured a dedication to Billy Klapper.
The return of the show, created by Taylor Sheridan, has been littered with controversy due to the absence of lead star Kevin Costner, who left the series amid rumours of behind-scenes-tensions and to concentrate on his passion project, the film series Horizon.
The first episode of season 5B sees a scene where Rip, played by Cole Hauser, stops by a loriner to purchase a horse bit for Lloyd (Forrie J. Smith).
While at the loriner, Rip admires an impeccably crafted set of spurs, created from a single piece of metal. The spurs were actually created by the late loriner Billy Klapper, who was well-regarded within the cowboy and ranching communities for his artistry.
The loriner featured in the scene is none other than Klapper himself, who died earlier this year on 10 September aged 87. During the episode, the official Yellowstone X/Twitter account wrote: “Billy Klapper is a LEGEND!”
Klapper began making spurs way back in 1966 having been trained by fellow famed spur maker Adolph Bayers while working as a ranch hand. His craftsmanship and items soon became sought after and he eventually took up the profession full time.
Klapper, who is from Pampa, began working at the Buckle L Ranch in Childress and then later at the Y Ranch in Paducah.
He married his wife Roberta in 1973 and the couple remained together until her death in 2021.
In his obituary, it said: “Billy will be remembered as a good man, a friend to all, and most of all a true cowboy. He is going to be deeply missed by his family and friends. Billy put the ‘western’ in western heritage for years and now he is a part of the heritage.”
Before his death, in an interview with Western Horseman magazine, Klapper admitted: “It got to a point that I had so many orders, I was going to have to quit [making bits and spurs] or quit cowboying, either on.
“I may have to work a little harder at this, but I thought I could make more money and stay warm in the wintertime. I liked to cowboy, but there’s no money in it, and I had a family. It’s just living from one paycheck to another.”
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