Prestige Training

Chesapeake Bay

In the Summer of 1997, “Chesapeake Bay” was purchased at the age of 7 from Olympian Phyliss Dawson of Purcellville, Virginia as a Preliminary One-Star horse after he placed 2nd at the M&M Mars Essex Three-Day Event in Gladstone New Jersey that Spring. Jim was coaching a Junior rider at that time named Brooke Knisely of Greenwood Village, Colorado whose parents, Robert & Janet, agreed to buy the horse for Jim to compete for a minimum of 3 years.

“Chesapeake” is a bay 16.3 hand Thoroughbred who raced in West Virginia for 1 year before becoming an Event horse. Jim bumped “Chesapeake” up to Intermediate Horse Trials right away with success, but opted to run him at another One-Star Three-Day that Fall.

In 1997 “Chesapeake” was “High Point Horse at Two Levels” for Area IX United States Combined Training Association. They won the High Prairie CCN* in October and also competed that next Spring at the M&M Mars Essex CCI** finishing 10th. Moving on to Advanced that same year in 1998, “Chesapeake was 12th at Wayne Horse Trials in Wayne, Illinois, 12th at Millbrook Horse Trials in Millbrook, New York, and 2nd at Goose Downs Horse Trials in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

They opted for another CCI** that Fall at Radnor Hunt Three-Day Event in Malvern, Pennsylvania and finished 20th. They continued at Advanced Level in the Spring of 1999 and were 18th at Southern Pines in Southern Pines, North Carolina, 21st at Morven Park in Leesburg, Virginia, 7th at The North American Beaulieu Classic in Chatsworth, Georgia, and they had a clean Cross-Country within the time at Rolex Kentucky CCI*** in Lexington, Kentucky. Unfortunately they had to withdraw before Show Jumping due to unsoundness.

That Fall they were 2nd at Swiftsure in Sun Valley, Idaho and 4th at High Prairie in Parker, Colorado, but they were not able to make it to Fair Hill CCI*** in Maryland due to another unsoundness. They were, however, “High Point Advanced Horse” in 1999 for Area IX United States Combined Training Association.

In the Spring of 2000, they were 3rd at Trojan Horse in Phoenix, Arizona, but “Chesapeake” had to undergo arthoscopic surgery shortly thereafter and missed MBNA Foxhall CCI*** in Georgia. That Fall they were 7th at Jackson Hole in Wyoming and 3rd at Seibel Systems in Palo Alto, California, but they never made it around Fair Hill CCI*** successfully. They did finish 6th on their dressage score at Camino Real CCI** in Buffalo, Texas two weeks later.

After three and a half years of campaigning together, Jim decided to return him to Brooke Knisely who then was a Young Rider and wanted to compete at the North American Young Riders Championship in 2001. Brooke and “Chesapeake” finished 11th in the CCI*J that year.