Priority to Positive^®, The future of sport horse training

Priority to Positive^®,
The future of sport horse training

WELCOME TO VIA NOVA

Bringing Positive Reinforcement into the saddle

Priority to Positive^®

5 CORE PRINCIPLES

A practical approach to positive reinforcement training for equestrians.

At Via Nova, we make positive reinforcement into practical tools that support both the everyday rider and the competitive equestrian. Our five Core Principles and Priority to Positive^® training approach will help you think like a positive reinforcement trainer, so you can successfully apply this powerful training method to the many different needs and goals of all equestrians. Including our most important goal of all, the benefit of the horse!

Want to learn more? Check out our Articles and FAQs!

Understanding Motivation:

Desire Vs. Avoidance

Look at your "YES!":

Flip your negative mindset

Create opportunity:

Use the positive reinforcement tools that your horse wants to learn

Shape toward what you want:

Use thin slices and building blocks

Set up for success:

It's not cheating to make it easy

Priority to Positive^®

5 CORE PRINCIPLES

A practical approach to positive reinforcement training for equestrians.

At Via Nova, we make positive reinforcement into practical tools that support both the everyday rider and the competitive equestrian. Our five Core Principles and Priority to Positive^® training approach will help you think like a positive reinforcement trainer, so you can successfully apply this powerful training method to the many different needs and goals of all equestrians. Including our most important goal of all, the benefit of the horse!

Want to learn more? Check out our Resources and FAQs!

Ready to Embrace Positive Reinforcement Training?

TRAIN & LEARN WITH VIA NOVA

Our mission at Via Nova is to spread the remarkable benefits of Positive Reinforcement training within the equestrian community. We are dedicated to providing equestrians with the knowledge, skills, and practical tools essential for success in using R+ training, both on the ground and undersaddle. Through our passion for horses and unwavering commitment to their well-being, we strive not only to improve performance in the ring but to deepen the bond and communication between horse and rider.

Whether you’re an amateur or a pro, we’ll help you learn to Build a Happy Athlete. Explore a new road to training sport and performance horses!

ACCESS

Access our online articles designed to help riders, trainers, and competitors learn valuable R+ techniques.

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LEARN

Horse training is hands-on! Our Workshops in Sante Fe, NM, will give you practical skills and real-life experience using Positive Reinforcement with horses.

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SOLVE

Problems with trailer loading? Is your horse fearful or aggressive? Experiencing nervousness in the show ring? We have solutions!

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ADVANCE

Whether you’re an amateur or a pro, we’ll help you learn to Build a Happy Athlete. Explore a new road to training sport and performance horses!

Job Opportunities

Our Facilities

A TOUR OF VIA NOVA

Via Nova’s home, Terra Nova Equestrian Center, is both an exceptional boarding facility and an international center for Positive Reinforcement Training for horses and riders. With a total of 40 stalls in two barns, well-designed turn-out facilities, and a variety of indoor and outdoor options for multiple disciplines, we focus on our horses’ natural needs for movement and enrichment.

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Job Opportunities

WANT TO BE PART OF THE TEAM?

Via Nova is on a mission to spread awareness about the benefits of applying Positive Reinforcement training when working with horses. We provide equestrians with the transformative knowledge and practical tools they need to implement these techniques in their training practices!

If you are a team player committed to a professional career working with horses and being a part of an evolution in horse training, Via Nova has space for you!

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Upcoming Events & Clinics

TAKE YOUR JOURNEY TO THE NEXT LEVEL

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About Us

ABOUT VIA NOVA

At Via Nova, we’re providing horse-centered tools and skills to help riders reach their goals. Through Positive Reinforcement training, we create happy, well-mannered, and confident horses for all aspects of equestrian life — from everyday barn activities to trail rides, arena work, and competitive events. Our programs are tailored to individual horses and riders, and include our on-site Training program, workshops, clinics, and consultations. We deeply value and respect diverse training objectives, empowering our community to witness tangible results and make informed training decisions at their own pace within their chosen discipline. Whether you're looking to enhance your horse's performance, improve communication, or simply deepen the bond with your equine partner, the Via Nova team is here to support you.

A Better Way to Communicate

OUR PHILOSOPHY

Via Nova Training is taking the principles of behavioral science and Positive Reinforcement (R+) into traditional equestrian pursuits.

Our aim is to integrate Positive Reinforcement training methods into the conventional horse world; providing skills and principles that can help you succeed with any horse or any situation.

We believe that equestrians can better train horses by understanding how behavior and learning really works.

By centering Positive Reinforcement techniques in our training strategies, we promote both mental and physical well-being for our horses - creating happy and confident athletes

We know that the sport horse world is just beginning to understand how R+ can be applied for both welfare and competitive success. Our facility at Terra Nova Equestrian Training Center in Santa Fe, New Mexico, functions as a dynamic laboratory, providing us with the opportunity to challenge ourselves and enhance our approach continuously.

This commitment to continual research and application aims to establish a new benchmark for training excellence within the equestrian community, emphasizing the well-being and success of both horse and rider.

Answers at a Glance: Your Top Queries Answered

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Absolutely! Positive Reinforcement has already been used successfully by Olympic-level riders such as Beezie Madden to problem-solve and improve communication.
Positive Reinforcement (R+) can be used to train for competition and horse sports in multiple ways. With our PtP approach, we see endless opportunities from improving communication to building trust and confidence.
Rewards, markers, and cues used during training can be transferred to light aids under saddle.
Positive Reinforcement (R+ ) training techniques improve communication and build trust between the rider and horse. This means the rider has a willing and attentive partner in and out of the competition ring.
The most frequent food rewards come during the teaching (what we call “shaping”) of a behavior. For well-established behaviors, the horse doesn’t need to be rewarded every time.
Fading out the treats is a critical element for using R+ under saddle, but it must be done knowledgeably to maintain the horse’s willing motivation. Think about how you feel about working hard—you expect and deserve to get paid, but you don’t have to have a coin handed to you every minute. On the other hand, if your boss quit paying you entirely, or only paid you with pats on the back, you’d lose your motivation.
Absolutely. Positive Reinforcement training (R+) can solve problems that a horse is experiencing in day-to-day training or at competitions — like standing at the mounting block, fear of jumping over water, refusing to enter the arena, or even getting into a trailer to go home!

No. Of course, you can use Positive Reinforcement (R+) with traditional tack and aids. Via Nova’s Priority to Positive goal is to use standard riding equipment and aids for safety and to cue behavior—but not as a means to force behavior. The crucial difference is how these cues are trained and the horse’s motivation for responding to them.
People often associate Positive Reinforcement with clicker training — it is and isn’t.
The clicker is a marker that marks the behavior you want to reward, but a marker doesn’t need to be a clicker; it can be anything that’s consistent and distinct enough for the horse to recognize.
At Via Nova, we often use the letter “T” as a verbal marker, but it could be a whistle, a unique cluck — or while riding, a touch on the withers. You can choose what marker you want to use as long as it’s consistent and conditioned correctly.
As we all know, horses love food. By shaping behavior with markers, food rewards, and clear cues, they can associate their correct behavior with the reward — creating better communication and speeding up the learning and training process.
With less confusion, they’re more likely to perform behaviors that they might have resisted in traditional training. Positive Reinforcement can yield quick results once foundational behaviors are established. Like any type of training, the success and time it takes depends on both the trainer’s execution and the individual horse.
This is an important point. Positive Reinforcement doesn’t mean giving your horse treats in response to unwanted, pushy behavior. The first lesson we teach when we start training with Positive Reinforcement is “Manners.” The horses learn right away how to behave around food to receive their reward, and we emphasize that lesson for a lifetime.
In our PtP program, we also teach you the mechanical skills of how to handle the treats to discourage pushiness.