Helen Grinnell King
Born in Gloucester, Massachusetts, Helen Grinnell King was being led around on a horse long
before she could walk. Dogs and horses have been a major part of her entire life. Her mother
raised Boxers in the ‘50s and ‘60s so Helen’s education of canine structure began at a very early
age.
Helen grew up on a horse, riding every day after school and spending nearly every Saturday fox
hunting and Sundays competing at hunter/jumper shows around New England.
In 1966, Helen spent the summer in Ireland at a school for equestrian studies. While there, she
learned the importance of structure and how it relates to performance. She attended many horse
shows in Ireland as well as sales and fairs and this exposure to hundreds of performance animals
helped develop her eye for what it takes for an animal to excel in performance. She also rode
some open jumpers while there and that taught her that structure is crucial not only to winning but
to safety and soundness as well.
In the 1970s, Helen raised and showed harlequin Great Danes and Basset Hounds as well a few
other breeds. She owned and/or bred many AKC champions including the breed winner at a Great
Dane Club of America National specialty as well as multiple Group and all breed Best in Show
winning Basset Hounds. One of her Basset Hound bitches produced 8 AKC breed champions from
only two litters and was awarded the Register of Merit title from the BHCA as a top producer of
champions. Helen also bred one of the first dual champion Basset Hounds (field and breed
champion) and to this day there are very few dual champions in the breed.
As an award winning sculptor, Helen has studied structure in depth to enhance her understanding
of conformation and how it relates to movement.
She and her husband, Mel, bred successful race and performance horses for many years. One of
the Connemara stallions Helen bred and owned was immortalized as a limited edition Breyer
model. “Rocky” was well known for his many championships in hand and over fences as well as
great successes in dressage and eventing. Recently, the American Connemara Pony Society
awarded the first ever prestigious Premium Stallion Certificates. Two of only three awards given
went to Rocky sons. Standing just 14.1 1/2h tall, Rocky often won open jumper classes over
horses that towered over him.
Helen has been an Inspector for the American Connemara Pony Society for many years as well as
a Connemara judge and seminar presenter. She attends seminars and lectures with the leaders in
the field to continually sharpen her eye and hone her skills.
Helen’s lifelong passion has been the study of structure and how it relates to performance. She
has observed hundreds of dogs in agility to compare conformation and performance as well as
tracking the puppies to maturity from the litter evaluations she has done.
With her extensive, hands-on knowledge of structure and performance, Helen’s evaluation
techniques and insight into effects of structure on performance will teach you how to look at dogs
in a simple, easy to understand way that will help you evaluate your current or future agility dog.
Into agility since 2001, she and Mel have competed successfully with their eight dogs in USDAA,
UKI and AKC.
Mel & Helen can be seen running the chicly shaved standard Poodles (and one little Border Collie):
ADCH MACH 7 Josephine MFX, SACH, CD, RN, HIT, VCX, CGC
MACH Isabella RN, O-EJC, EAC, OGC, NTC, AAD, JM, HIT, VCX, CGC
MACH 5 MeMe PD3, RN, HIT, VCX, CGC
MACH 2 Charisse Poodle NF, RN, HIT, VCX, CGC
Crush (BC) MX, MXJ, MXF, TM, HIT
And the two young rising star daughters of MACH 2 Charisse Poodle
UPGRAYEDD NAJ, HIT
Barque NAJ, HIT
before she could walk. Dogs and horses have been a major part of her entire life. Her mother
raised Boxers in the ‘50s and ‘60s so Helen’s education of canine structure began at a very early
age.
Helen grew up on a horse, riding every day after school and spending nearly every Saturday fox
hunting and Sundays competing at hunter/jumper shows around New England.
In 1966, Helen spent the summer in Ireland at a school for equestrian studies. While there, she
learned the importance of structure and how it relates to performance. She attended many horse
shows in Ireland as well as sales and fairs and this exposure to hundreds of performance animals
helped develop her eye for what it takes for an animal to excel in performance. She also rode
some open jumpers while there and that taught her that structure is crucial not only to winning but
to safety and soundness as well.
In the 1970s, Helen raised and showed harlequin Great Danes and Basset Hounds as well a few
other breeds. She owned and/or bred many AKC champions including the breed winner at a Great
Dane Club of America National specialty as well as multiple Group and all breed Best in Show
winning Basset Hounds. One of her Basset Hound bitches produced 8 AKC breed champions from
only two litters and was awarded the Register of Merit title from the BHCA as a top producer of
champions. Helen also bred one of the first dual champion Basset Hounds (field and breed
champion) and to this day there are very few dual champions in the breed.
As an award winning sculptor, Helen has studied structure in depth to enhance her understanding
of conformation and how it relates to movement.
She and her husband, Mel, bred successful race and performance horses for many years. One of
the Connemara stallions Helen bred and owned was immortalized as a limited edition Breyer
model. “Rocky” was well known for his many championships in hand and over fences as well as
great successes in dressage and eventing. Recently, the American Connemara Pony Society
awarded the first ever prestigious Premium Stallion Certificates. Two of only three awards given
went to Rocky sons. Standing just 14.1 1/2h tall, Rocky often won open jumper classes over
horses that towered over him.
Helen has been an Inspector for the American Connemara Pony Society for many years as well as
a Connemara judge and seminar presenter. She attends seminars and lectures with the leaders in
the field to continually sharpen her eye and hone her skills.
Helen’s lifelong passion has been the study of structure and how it relates to performance. She
has observed hundreds of dogs in agility to compare conformation and performance as well as
tracking the puppies to maturity from the litter evaluations she has done.
With her extensive, hands-on knowledge of structure and performance, Helen’s evaluation
techniques and insight into effects of structure on performance will teach you how to look at dogs
in a simple, easy to understand way that will help you evaluate your current or future agility dog.
Into agility since 2001, she and Mel have competed successfully with their eight dogs in USDAA,
UKI and AKC.
Mel & Helen can be seen running the chicly shaved standard Poodles (and one little Border Collie):
ADCH MACH 7 Josephine MFX, SACH, CD, RN, HIT, VCX, CGC
MACH Isabella RN, O-EJC, EAC, OGC, NTC, AAD, JM, HIT, VCX, CGC
MACH 5 MeMe PD3, RN, HIT, VCX, CGC
MACH 2 Charisse Poodle NF, RN, HIT, VCX, CGC
Crush (BC) MX, MXJ, MXF, TM, HIT
And the two young rising star daughters of MACH 2 Charisse Poodle
UPGRAYEDD NAJ, HIT
Barque NAJ, HIT
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| Connemara stallion "Rocky" owned and bred by Helen RIght with Connie Tuor up. Below as a limited edition Breyer model |