bay horse looking over low split rail fence with rider in black helmet white breeches, black tailcoat and tall boots. A person stands beside the horse’s head with a straw hat lying against their back and shoulders. A girl with long hair stands under a tree on the right. In the distance a meadow and pinon juniper scrub with a green roofed building

Boarding & Training At Terra Nova

An exceptional boarding facility and an international center for Positive Reinforcement Training (R+)

Please be aware that we are frequently at capacity for our boarding and training services. Please get in touch to learn about availability.

International Center for Positive Reinforcement Training

Terra Nova Equestrian Training Center

Terra Nova Equestrian Training Center provides a unique boarding experience for horses and their humans. Located on 50 acres of high desert meadow, it’s both an exceptional boarding facility and an international center for Positive Reinforcement training (R+) for horses and riders.

With a total of 30 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.

Enrollment in the Via Nova Priority to Positive® R+ Training Program is required in order to board at Terra Nova.

Before you read on, first find out some important things you’ll need to know about boarding at an R+ facility.

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Priority to Positive® R+ Training Program
Facilities
Rates & Fees

Via Nova Priority to Positive® R+ Training Program

Improve Motivation & Performance

Through daily care and horse interactions, our training program includes lessons, rides, and liberty sessions personalized to improve motivation and performance based on your individual goals while promoting joy and fun for horses and humans.

Trainer meeting with one person actively writing notes on large poster paper
young woman in blue shirt riding chestnut horse at a trot. yellow chamisa bush flowering crying the wooden railing of the outdoor arena
In an outdoor arena, a dappled grey horse clears a cross-rail jump, its front legs tucked and head directed forward. On the left, a person standing on the ground extends a target stick with a large white bulb toward the horse's flight path. The person wears a helmet, a teal vest over white sleeves, and a waist bag with a white container attached. Another person in a teal jacket stands in the background watching.

One-month Introductory Period

To ensure that everyone and every horse we work with flourishes, we welcome all new boarders and horses with an introductory period that teaches and trains the fundamentals of Positive Reinforcement (R+) and Priority to Positive® (PtP) Training. We also meet with you to develop an individualized plan for you and your horse using R+ to achieve your aspirations.

Includes: 5 sessions/week (minimum)

Training Sessions

Each training session includes a customized combination:

  • Under saddle lessons with Via Nova trainer
  • Trainer rides
  • Trainer led liberty sessions with horse and boarder
  • Introduction to Priority to Positive: Interactive courses and hands-on sessions with your horse

Training Goals

  • Customized training plan developed between boarder and Via Nova to meet desired goals
  • Boarder/rider knowledgeable with the basics of R+ and Principles of PtP
  • Horse proficient with basic R+ Skills, including Targeting, and Liberty leading
  • Horse taught polite and relaxed manners with food
  • Horse conditioned to the Marker Signal

Our Facilities

Terra Nova Equestrian Training Center

30 stalls, 50 acres, indoor and outdoor spaces, and exceptional services.

2 Boarding Barns

Our stalls have ample room for horses to move inside and outdoors as they wish, with other horses always nearby and in view.

3 Unique Track Paddocks

We have three 5-acre track paddocks with V-mesh-and-pipe fencing. Feeding, resting and watering stations are designed to encourage healthy and natural movement and foraging patterns. See Paddock Paradise: A Guide to Natural Horse Boarding for more information about the track paddock concept.

Main Barn Features

  • 22m by 60m indoor arena
  • Mirrors
  • Lighting
  • Sound system
  • Viewing platform
  • All stalls with outdoor runs
  • Heated tack room
  • Wash racks
  • Grooming bays
  • Laundry and tack cleaning facilities
  • Heated rest rooms
  • Lounge with full kitchen
  • Wide aisles and excellent ventilation

Outdoor Arenas

  • 20m by 60m dressage arena
  • 60m by 65m jumping arena
  • ¾ acre paddock dedicated to training at liberty with positive reinforcement, equipped with reverse round pen
  • Covered arena for training at liberty
  • Lunging pen
trees and some cross-rail jumps next to a galloping track under a blue sky at dusk

Cross-Country Course and Trails

  •  30 jumps on over 10 acres of trails
  • Water jump, Bank and cross-country play area
  • Pre-comp to Prelim level jumps
  • Galloping track

Boarding & Training Fees

World-Facilities and Trainers

Full Boarding Costs

  • Main Barn: $1,000/month
  • Back Barn: $1,250/month

Includes:

  • Turn-out
  • European hotwalker
  • Hay-fed three times daily
  • Purina products for grain

Monthly Training Packages

Terra Nova does not provide boarding without an ongoing Via Nova Priority to Positive® training package.

Fees listed do not include boarding.

Gold: $850

4 Training sessions a week (16 sessions a month)

Silver: $750

3 Training sessions a week (12 Sessions a month).

Bronze: $600

2 Training sessions a week (8 Sessions a month)

Introductory Month: $650

At the end of the first month, Via Nova will evaluate progress and discuss appropriate training package.

Interested in boarding and training at Terra Nova?

Our lead trainer will reach out to schedule an interview to discuss your expectations and goals from groundwork to under saddle as well as in competition.

Contact us today for availability

Terra? Via? What’s the difference?

Terra Nova (‘New Ground’ in Latin) is the name of the equestrian facility itself, managed by Gilly Slayter, which is located 20 minutes from the plaza in Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA.

Via Nova (‘New Road’) is the name of our Positive Reinforcement training business based at the facility. Our Via Nova trainers specialize in using Positive Reinforcement (R+) with equines. The Via Nova mission is to introduce R+ to the traditional equestrian world in a safe and practical way.