A Message From Ellen
Ellen Heckert, creator & instructor
“Welcome! My name is Ellen Heckert and I thank you for your interest in our programs!
My main interest in developing the programs at King’s View Acres is in helping children become better people. I strive to give them a sense of confidence that comes from accomplishment - not simple participation.
I strive to give them a sense of empathy for the animals and each other by watching the real consequences of their actions and how they affect the horses. I strive to give kids an understanding of responsibility when the animals’ whole well-being depends on the student doing what needs to be done.
I strive to develop kids who think of others needs before their own by having them care for the horses’ needs before they take care of themselves. I strive to develop children who can think through processes and problems on their own. They will struggle with tasks and will be encouraged to work through trial and error to find the best way to complete those tasks.
I strive to develop kids with a sense of nature and an appreciation of all the gifts we have been given by God. I want them to come away with a sense of awe and appreciation about every blessing they have been given - large and small.
I strive to create horsemen and horsewomen - students who understand the physiology and psychology of the horse. Most of all, I strive to teach children to empathize with the horses and learn to put themselves into someone or something else’s position.
I still want my students to learn to ride and properly care for the horses, but the virtues they develop are so much more important to me. It is the life lessons the kids learn here that truly matter.
Riding lessons are great, but I strive to do so much more than teach the kids to ride. I strive to invest in their future, be a mentor, someone they can talk to, and provide a safe place to come when they are stressed and upset, or even when they’re happy and excited.
A majority of today’s parents have to be working away from home for many hours of the day, creating a family dilemma where children, especially middle school aged kids, sometimes have to be left alone. I want to provide a solution for this dilemma by providing them with a safe, happy, stimulating place to be while parents/guardians are unavailable. I want that place to be Kings View Acres. Our flagship program, Horsin’ Around at King’s View Acres, was created, in part, to be a solution.
I strive to be a part of the village that helps to raise the youth in this community. ”
— Ms. Ellen Heckert
