Ruth R. Handley, a driving force in the West Coast horse industry, died on June 22 at her home in Ramona, Calif. She was 90.

Mrs. Handley was born in Arnold, Neb., and raised on her family’s homestead ranch in Campbell County, Wyo. It was there that her deep-seated passion for horses was fostered.

Upon graduating from the University of Wyoming in 1941, Mrs. Handley relocated to San Diego, Calif., to begin a distinguished 31-year career in personnel management that encompassed service at the University of California’s Division of War Research, the Scripps Institute of Oceanography and the University of California, San Diego.

Mrs. Handley married the love of her life, August E. Handley, of La Jolla, Calif., in 1947. They celebrated 55 years of marriage. Their shared interest of horses and equine activities propelled their creation of the Shadowland Ranch for Girls in Campo and La Jolla, Calif. Mrs. Handley was a charter member of the Santa Fe Hounds, a founder of the San Diego Chapter of the California Dressage Society, and a pacesetter for the reorganization of the Ramona Trails and San Vicente Pony Club of Ramona, Calif.