News | 9 January 2026
Pony Power Across Land and Sea: How Isle of Wight Member Alice Critchison Became a Rising Star in Endurance
Pony Club Member Alice Critchison, aged 12, has had a season to remember — not just because she won almost every major junior Endurance award, but because she’s done it all with a pony she produced herself… and with a ferry crossing before every ride!
Alice, from the Isle of Wight Branch, partnered her 14hh New Forest pony Ashley Kate (known as Pumpkin) to scoop an incredible list of titles this year:
🏆 Junior Championship – Merrie Trophy
🏆 Reserve Zarpa Trophy
🏆 Snowflake Trophy
🏆 Endurance GB Pony Club Intermediate League Champion
🏆 Young Volunteer of the Year
This is a huge achievement for a pair who only started Endurance in 2022. Alice first caught the Endurance bug watching her Mum and Granny compete, and soon discovered she loved the adventure, the countryside, and the teamwork with her pony. Her standout moment? Riding at Cirencester with the regional teams:
“That gave me the Endurance bug!” she says.
Pumpkin wasn’t the pony the family thought they were looking for — they hadn’t planned on buying a chestnut, a mare, or a youngster! But sometimes the right pony finds you. Pumpkin arrived newly backed as a four-year-old, and Alice took on the challenge of producing her from scratch. “We’re learning Endurance together,” she says proudly.
Life on the Isle of Wight adds extra excitement to every competition. Before reaching the start line, Alice and Pumpkin begin their journey with a two-hour ferry trip, carefully planned around tides, booking slots and occasionally, a last-minute lorry drama. “Our trips feel like an episode of Gogglebox,” she laughs. “Travelling with Mum and Granny is always fun!”
Alice is a passionate Pony Club Member and a brilliant ambassador for the sport. With limited access to mainland rides, her DC has helped create local “spider rides” so she can train closer to home. Her Branch has recognised her hard work too — she has twice won the Isle of Wight’s Young Achiever of the Year and has been named Pony Club Ambassador three years running.
But Alice doesn’t just ride — she volunteers. This year alone she has helped as a vet lane runner, vet writer, TS assistant, gate steward, route checker and more. “I love helping,” she says. “You learn so much.”
So what’s next?
Pumpkin is only six, so the plan is another novice season, stepping up to more 40km rides and practising vet gates. Alice’s biggest message to other Pony Club Members is simple:
“Endurance is really friendly and fun. You don’t need to compare yourself to anyone else — just enjoy the experience. Please give it a try!”
With her enthusiasm, sportsmanship and dedication, Alice is a fantastic role model for young riders everywhere. We can’t wait to see where her Endurance journey takes her next.