Charley and Case Cox, children of Chris and Barbara Cox, Mineral Wells, Texas.
Riding résumés: While both kids love trail riding, Charley, 7, excels in cutting on her 8-year-old Quarter Horse gelding Bruce, and Case, 6, enjoys roping on his 14-year-old Quarter Horse gelding Custer. Why they ride safe: Besides the fact that Mom and Dad say so, Barbara explains that because both children have been around horses from a very young age, they understand that safety comes first. “Charley especially understands,” Barbara says. “She had an accident when she was young and knows how important it is to protect her head. It also encouraged both kids when Chris explained that he wore a helmet as a young child and showed them pictures of him riding in Pony Club wearing a helmet.” Positive reaction: “Neither Charley nor Case had any problem with wearing a helmet because they were too young to feel self-conscious,” Barbara says. “And for the most part, they’re still quite confident about it. Recently, Case has been trying to sneak out of the barn in his Western hat to look more like his daddy—a ‘real cowboy.’ It was actually perfect timing that Resistol came out with the RideSafe helmet, so Case can feel like a cowboy but also be protected.” Parental pointers: “I can’t stress how important it is for children to wear helmets,” Barbara says. “I think what really helped our kids is that we never made helmets a big deal. It was just part of the routine—they put their helmets on and we immediately focused on the fun of riding. Make sure any helmet fits your child’s head correctly and that the chinstrap is properly adjusted—if it’s too loose, the helmet could slip back. And make sure the helmet is comfortable; if it’s too tight or the wrong shape for their head size, it will deter kids from wearing it.”