In Loving Memory of our BEST mare Clean Sweep

Dave and I lost our good mare Clean Sweep on December 23, 2006. She was only four years old. Sweeper fought hard for 15 days to survive with both intensive care in a hospital and round the clock intensive care at home. We are devastated by her loss. The only relief we feel is that she is no longer suffering. She was our star mare and we know she can never be replaced in our hearts or in our barn. We want to say a special thank you to Denna Nick, who supported us, and me in particular, day by day and sometimes minute by minute through this ordeal. We are comforted that she is the new owner of our Sweeper mares colt, THF Boomerang. We feel like he has gone to live with family.

Thank you to all who have shared in our grief. We appreciate your support and recognize as you do that this was a loss not only to us but to the breed.

Where in this wide world can man find nobility without pride,

Friendship without envy, or beauty without vanity?

Here, where grace is laced with muscle,

And strength by gentleness confined.

He serves without servility, has fought without enmity.

There is nothing so powerful, nothing less violet;

Nothing as quick, nothing more patient.

The worlds past have been borne on his back.

We are his heirs; he is our inheritance.

The Horse.

By Ronald Duncan

You will be deeply missed Sweeper

Clean Sweep is a Tri colored 2002 filly by Charlie and a tri colored mare called Lucy. Clean Sweep has great gypsy blood, being double "Road Sweeper" bred (he's her grandsire on both sides) This is the original legendary Road Sweeper bred off the Coal Horse, not the new one named that in the USA. Take a look at the picture of him here on our site; this mare has his genetics stamped all over her! The Road Sweeper is gone now so being able to add this in-demand limited blood to our breeding program is such a bonus. She has a gorgeous double mane with a thick forelock that reaches the end of her nose and feather that touches the ground. If you look closely you can see she has darling little white eyelashes on the most beautiful head. Her personality is representative of her breed. She is as quiet and kind as they come. Clean Sweep is incredibly flashy, with an awesome natural head carriage and conformation in the top of her class. She is currently around 14.3 hands and growing. When we got her she was the only horse in the US with the unique colors she possess, blood bay body, black and white mane and tail. We used to think her flashy coat pattern made her so special and sought after but since then there have been a few others with the same color patter who simply don’t have “the look” our mare does. She is definitely a package deal that took good foundation breeding, the right kind of hair, temperament and class. It’s pretty clear why her importer said, “She is the nicest Gypsy Horse on the West Coast.”  We think she could come in any color and would still stop traffic. It’s the “magic” Dennis Thompson, founder of the Vanner society, told me about. He agreed with us she had it, and I think “magic” is the only way to describe something so indescribable. Clean Sweep is broke to ride and drive and has an incredible work ethic!

This is definitely one of the top Gypsy Horses on the West Coast!

Clean Sweep's Pedigree
(click underlined names to see photos - note you will NOT see a hand cursor.)

	(click on thumbnails for larger view)
	Sweeper as a Yearling: