“I started working with Gavin when I was around 12 years old which I now know was a privilege. Gavin has an insane brain where he can just soak up all kinds of information and he has done this with OTS.

His ability to asses you, tell you what’s wrong and give you a way to fix and work on your physical problems is terrific. What people don’t understand is that one session with OTS is not going to fix everything. You NEED to do the exercises he gives you so that you can see a difference.

This is precisely what I’ve done, and let me tell you the difference I have not only felt whilst riding but also seen in my photos and videos is impressive. My one foot that constantly turned out started staying in place, my balance was better over my toes and my hands became softer.

This is all with the help of OTS and my discipline to do what I know will improve my riding. Thank you Gavin.”

~ Chloë Altmann, Cape Town, South Africa

Don’t pull on the left, don’t pull on the left!

This is what I’ve been told my entire riding career. It had never occurred to me that it could be something so easy to correct, once I had been awakened to the cause of this constant habit.

My obliques were under active, thereby allowing the collapse of my trunk/core. To compensate for the weakness/non-firing of the obliques I would pull on my left rein. As well as both of my glutes being too tight and a delayed firing. Which contributed to my seat being off centre and this always made me feel slightly “behind” the movement.

Then came Gavin and the wonderful OTS program. Through small corrections and body awareness at each session, coupled with the religious participation in the pre-ride exercises as well as the take-home program, my riding has changed DRAMATICALLY. My horses are so much straighter and pushing evenly from both hind legs because I no longer am collapsing. My sitting trot is magically fixed, because I’m no longer collapsing in my upper body and I can move with the trot as opposed to being left behind due to tightening of my hip flexors.

Something that has been very noticeable for me too, has been the change in my resting posture due to the increased strength from keeping up with OTS program!

Thank you so much Gavin for this incredible program- It has cured my pain off the horse and given me harmony in the saddle with my horses that I never thought I could reach so “effortlessly”.

~ Jessica Manig – Johannesburg, South Africa

I met Gavin 3 years ago after having spent 18 months training at Sports Science  for fitness and suppleness related to equestrian requirements. While I felt pretty much no benefit from the program at Sports Science, after the first session with Gavin (assessment in and out of saddle), I already felt  better balanced in the saddle. Within just the first 3 weeks, I started noticing daily improvements in terms of suppleness, strength, core posture and the ability to effectively and accurately give aids.

Now, after a few years, I still feel that my riding improves with every session, that I can do so much more on a horse than I could before, with much less effort and force. I cannot sing Gavin’s praises loud enough and am committed to continuing this process so that I can continue riding to the best of my ability for many years to come.

~ Anna Buchanan, South Africa

Working with Gavin has been a gamechanger for my riding after fumbling along trying to improve my seat for years.  I was not progressing despite throwing everything at it – running, yoga, weights etc.

I started the OTS program in November 2022 and within six months I am a completely different person in the saddle. The exercises are simple but hugely effective – my balance, stability, flexibility and co-ordination in the saddle has improved tremendously.  The exercises target all the correct muscles for riding and has improved my functional movement and strength beyond measure. I can absorb the movement of my horses and use seat, leg and hands aids independently.

My seat is deeper, my legs are longer in the stirrups and my hands are quieter. I now have pelvic mobility and the bonus is I have no pain in my hips and lower back.

Being able to move with the horse no matter what has also given me a huge amount of confidence no matter what the horse does.
This in turn gives my horses confidence and I am sure they are breathing a sigh of relief that I am not gripping and holding on for dear life.

~ Lil, South Africa

I’ve been doing weekly workouts with Gavin since July 2020.  The results have exceeded my expectations and have helped my riding immensely.

Thanks to Gavin’s exercises, my weight is evenly distributed across both seat bones, I’m sitting in the middle of the saddle, my upper body is straight (no longer collapsing in my waist), my right leg is ‘hanging’ correctly so I can activate it effectively.

All of this means that my seat is able to follow my horses movement instead of blocking it and the left rein and right rein work is almost identical.  My horse and I are extremely grateful to Gavin!

~ Jules, South Africa