About Ruth- Owner and Trainer/Instructor at VS EquineRuth Van Sweden-Altes has been riding throughout her lifetime and began training in 1988. Ruth is originally from New Mexico but moved her training and lesson business to California in 1996. During her career she has competed at the state, regional, and national level. She has ridden and trained horses and riders to 12 World Championships and 6 Reserve World Championships at Quarter Horse, Palomino, Buckskin and Morgan World Shows. She and her students have shown successfully in Reining, Working Cowhorse, Trail, Western Riding, Hunter Hack, Working Hunter, and Jumping.
Ruth has been teaching western riding clinics in Europe since 1995 and has served as a horse show judge in Texas, New Mexico and California. Ruth holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture from New Mexico State University, where she also had a strong veterinary science background. She managed a Quarter Horse breeding program for fifteen years. Ruth has offered diverse and varied training programs in both English and Western disciplines and has run many youth summer horsemanship camps. She has carried her knowledge and experience out into the wilderness and on the trails, leading packing, outfitting, and trail riding excursions since 1992. Ruth was also the official trainer for the San Francisco Mounted Police Unit. She is married to Matt Altes and has two boys Colton and Wyatt who also really enjoy riding.   
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About Julie Baker: Assistant Trainer/Instructor
Baker's love for horses began early and took her to the show ring with hunter/jumpers. She then learned to gallop racehorses and worked at all the major tracks in California, also securing her Assistant Trainer's license. After retiring from the track, Julie began taking in retired racehorses to retrain for other careers, including rodeo, mounted police units, hunter/jumpers and more.
She also learned many other disciplines including reining, reined cowhorse and packing into the Emigrant Wilderness. Like Ruth, Julie has an extremely varied background, with years of experience to drawn on. She enjoys teaching all aspects of Horsemanship and really enjoys helping riders find a connection with their horse. Julie founded Healing Arenas, Inc. in 2014 and has also earned her certifications for EMT, Life Coach and Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Association's Equine Professional. Julie is looking forward to bringing her skills and new contributions to VS Equine, to work with Ruth in continuing the goal to provide the best in lessons, training, recreation and wellness!
She also learned many other disciplines including reining, reined cowhorse and packing into the Emigrant Wilderness. Like Ruth, Julie has an extremely varied background, with years of experience to drawn on. She enjoys teaching all aspects of Horsemanship and really enjoys helping riders find a connection with their horse. Julie founded Healing Arenas, Inc. in 2014 and has also earned her certifications for EMT, Life Coach and Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Association's Equine Professional. Julie is looking forward to bringing her skills and new contributions to VS Equine, to work with Ruth in continuing the goal to provide the best in lessons, training, recreation and wellness!
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About Britt: Assistant Trainer/Instructor: Brittny Butman AKA "Britt"
Britt Butman is originally from a small town in Southern Tennessee and just moved to the west coast this past september. Her love of horses began at age 3 when she was literally thrown onto the back of a draft horse. She had no fear of the large animal, just love and awe. When she was 14 she got her first BLM mustang, Maverick (who will also be joining her on the west coast soon), and began volunteering at the local barn to pay for his board fees. During his training process she developed a passion for Mustangs, that was unmatched. At age 17 she was asked to start teaching some beginner lessons at the farm she had come to know as a second home and there over the course of the next 7 years she discovered her love for teaching. Shortly after, she started college and began pursuing a career path in physical therapy, which meant a busy class schedule and less time with the 4 legged creatures that brought her so much joy. It was actually her mother that noticed her lack of enthusiasm for her chosen profession and eventually came to her and told her she should quit school to pursue horses and do what brought her the most happiness. After that Britt trained and interned with every equine professional that she could soak up information from. Though her foundation is rooted in western riding, she has extensive knowledge in 3 day eventing and dressage from 2 years of training under Rio olympic alternate rider Elisa Wallce and even some stunt riding training from an internship with the trainer of the horses from the TV series The Walking Dead. While those experiences taught her much, she knew teaching people the basics of horsemanship and watching their eyes light up as they came to love the animals that had changed her life was what her life's purpose was.
In her free time she is an aspiring author, loves hiking with her Austrailian Shepherd named Chocolate and reading every book she can get her hands on.
In her free time she is an aspiring author, loves hiking with her Austrailian Shepherd named Chocolate and reading every book she can get her hands on.
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