Born in England, Octavia emigrated to the USA in 1964. She earned her Master of Education degree from Harvard Graduate School of Education in 1971 and was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters in 2008 by Centenary University. A founder of the North American Riding for the Handicapped Association (now PATH International) in 1969, she served four terms on the board of directors. She is a PATH Master Instructor and has chaired numerous committees for PATH, including Standards & Education and Certification. Now retired, she directed Therapeutic Riding At Centenary for 23 years as both a PATH Accredited program and training site for TR instructors. She is past president of the Federation Riding for the Disabled International, having served six years on the board of trustees. She has lectured in many countries at conferences and seminars.