2 Rods and 24 Bolts Later and Still at the Top of Her Game

By: Brittany Bevis

Those who grew up in public school will likely remember their annual physical, which probably included a check for scoliosis, or the abnormal curvature of the spine. Some spinal curvature of the neck and trunk is normal and necessary. However, when the curvature goes from side to side, that’s when big problems can arise.

AQHA amateur exhibitor, Chapman Maraman, wasn’t diagnosed with scoliosis until she was nine years old. “They found my scoliosis on a chest x-ray,” she says. “The curvature was 21 degrees on the bottom, and we were surprised they never found it when they did the scoliosis checks at school.”

“I wore a back brace for six years and was supposed to wear it for 23 hours a day. However, I played sports in high school and rode horses, so I didn’t wear it quite as much as I was supposed to. Finally, in December of 2014, my doctor told me I didn’t have to wear the brace anymore.”

Unfortunately, for Chapman, the relief only lasted a year, because she was back in the doctor’s office in March of 2015 with severe back pain. “The doctor told me that my spine had settled, my curve had gotten worse, and I now needed surgery. We scheduled surgery for June 1st of 2015. By the time I had surgery, my bottom curve was 45 degrees.”

The extensive surgery took six hours, during which doctors placing two rods and 24 bolts in Chapman’s spine. “I was on morphine every eight minutes!” she says. “Trust me, I was pressing my medicine button every five minutes. The doctor told me that my recovery time would be about six months and that I couldn’t lift over 10 pounds for a year. However, I’m very hard headed, and I only stayed in bed and recovered until school started that August. Then, I was immediately back to playing sports and riding again, about three months after surgery.”

Given the doctor’s initial prognosis for recovery, Chapman was worried about what the surgery might mean for her future riding career. “I was terrified that I wouldn’t be able to ride again or do half the stuff I grew up doing and loving. But, I haven’t had any complications since then, other than some pain every now and then.”

“The doctor told me I would never be able to touch my toes or do back flips, so of course I had to prove him wrong! I was back to cheering and doing flips in September of the same year and was back playing soccer and riding that same August. It was difficult, but it was definitely worth it to be able to prove to myself that I can still do everything I used to do, with the exception of sky diving!”

Chapman currently competes at AQHA events with her new, three-year-old, Lazy Loper mare, Impulsively Loping, aka “Lucy,” under the guidance of Christie and Ricky Arrington. She’s been riding since she was eight years old, just one year before she was diagnosed with scoliosis. She learned how to ride with Angela Gottler in Elberta, Alabama. In September of 2016, she moved into training with the Arrington family of Graceville, Florida, where she has been ever since. “They have truly shaped me into the rider I am today,” she says.

“Last year, around August, I bought Lucy as a pleasure horse. I now show her in Western Pleasure, Showmanship, Horsemanship, Trail, and Halter. She’s three now, and this is my first amateur year. We won our first all-around title together and my first amateur all-around title at my first amateur show in February. She’s something special for sure!”

“We will eventually show in more all-around events, including Western Riding and maybe some English classes. Our next show is the Stars and Stripes and Big A in Conyers, GA. We recently just got back from the AQHA L1 Championships Central in Oklahoma City where we won Rookie Amateur Western Pleasure. We placed in the top 5 and were finalists last year at the Quarter Horse Congress, and we plan to head to some big shows this season.”

Looking forward to her first year of competing in the amateur division, it’s clear that Chapman is determined to let nothing stand in her way. “I feel wonderful today! I’m maybe a little robotic; but, for the most part, it’s so much better than it was. I shouldn’t need to have any more surgeries, but fingers are crossed for sure.”