So how will the FEI fare without the Jordanian Princess?

First things first, it must be said that the move has come as something of a surprise after the FEI members voted overwhelmingly earlier this year to amend the body's statutes to allow Princess Haya to stay in office for a further stint by changing the two, four-year term rule for Presidents that she herself had introduced when she was first elected in 2006.

Despite being "humbled" by the gesture and support, she maintains that she remains "committed to a term limit, and that commitment still weighs heavily on me".

Other factors were, however, at play in the decision making process - one being the natural need to be there for her family and the other being her commitment to her humanitarian work, which at this time of unrest in the Middle East is perhaps now more vital than ever.

Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein has held the most powerful position in horse sport since 2006 ©AFP/Getty Images



One issue that was definitely not behind her decision, she insists, is the small matter of endurance riding, which has over the years become embroiled in a string of scandals, even the thoroughbred and endurance racing operations run by her husband, Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, were implicated in doping and welfare allegations.

"Endurance played no role at all in my decision and it hasn't despite what people like to think," Princess Haya said. "It hasn't played a role in my Presidency really in the last four years. I've been very, very well supported by the Executive Board and the first vice-president [Briton John McEwen] and the integrity unit have all taken on all matters to do with endurance.

"I have done everything by the book. I sleep very well at night. My decision had nothing to do with that and if it had, it would have been a decision I would have made four years ago and not announcing today. I can say that with all clarity."

In a conference call with journalists yesterday, Princess Haya joked that it would not be for her "to name an heir", but she did admit that she believes there are people who are capable of leading the FEI probably better than she ever did and thinks they will come forward as candidates now her announcement has been made.

"A person with integrity and good knowledge of the sport is easy to find, and that is what I believe is needed, no more than that," she claims. But her successor will also need to come with a sound business mind, as they will follow in the footsteps of a President who in her eight years in the role has brokered multimillion-dollar sponsorship deals for the governing body.

The long-running endurance crisis even saw Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum temporarily banned following failed doping tests ©Getty Images



But does the next leader need to be an IOC member? No, according to Princess Haya, partly because of the FEI Olympic Council, which was developed earlier this year to create a permanent liaison between the FEI and the members of the Olympic Family.

"I don't believe the influence of the equestrian family rests on my shoulders alone or should ever logically rest on the influence of one person, that would very much undermine what I said to be the values of the Olympic family and of sport in general," she said. "We have created an Olympic Council, not only to preserve our place in the Games but also to allow us to be in touch with those members who are members of our sport and to help them to understand the changes that are happening in our sport.

"The Olympic Council will hopefully be there for all eternity and that's something that will allow us to take pride in our place in the Olympic family and to ensure that if there is a President of the FEI that is not an IOC member there will be voices within the IOC from our sport. The IOC membership [or lack thereof] should not stop the forward march of the FEI."

In these uncertain times and with the rise of IOC President Thomas Bach's Olympic Agenda 2020, one cannot help but think the security blanket of a President who is also an IOC member would be invaluable to help protect the future of a sport and its disciplines on the Games programme, particularly one that is so exceptionally costly for host cities to stage.

The FEI Olympic Council was developed earlier this year to create a permanent liaison between the FEI and the IOC ©Getty Images



Whether any other equestrian figures come forward as FEI Presidential candidates before the September 1 deadline has yet to be seen. Prodding by insidethegames failed to uncover if McEwen has indicated any interest in the post but one thing Princess Haya is hoping for is that the next leader "will have a very easy job".

"I always said that I wanted to make myself redundant and that would be the biggest benchmark to judge success and then I would have known that I have done a good job," she said. "When I was elected everyone was saying, 'This federation has always been lead by a person with a title'.

"But what I want to ensure is that the best qualified person can come and that they don't have to have a strong financial background and they don't have to have the contacts and really what they have to do is be able to uphold the confidence of our community and our sport. That's what would make me happy."

Emily Goddard is a reporter and subeditor at insidethegames. To follow her on Twitter click here.