De Vos,  the Belgian elected on a four-year term to replace Princess Haya in December, excused himself from the Extraordinary General Assembly (EGA) in which the vote was being held, with first vice-president John Madden chairing the meeting in his place..

Votes were cast by the 59 National Federations and 27 powers of attorney present, with their decision to amend the statutes opening the possibility of a compensation payment  for the President.

However the move still requires the backing of the FEI Bureau, who are due to meet in June to discuss the issue.

Following the vote, Dr Claude Nordmann of the Swiss National Federation suggested a study should take place regarding salaried positions and that the contents of any study would prove useful to other International Federations.

The meeting was also presided over by FEI second vice-president Sheikh Khalid Bin Abdulla Al Khalifa from Bahrain and FEI secretary general Sabrina Zeender, with several alterations to the internal regulations of the governing body also unanimously voted through.

The EGA concluded with the passing of a vote which would see the addition of the President to the list of signatories to official documents.

The Forum has also seen several changes to the FEI's flagship event, The World Equestrian Games.

Proposals including reducing the size of the competition field as well as the length of the event to make the Games more sustainable.

Showjumping and Para-dressage were among other disciplines discussed.

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April 2015:  World Equestrian Games looks set for changes as event comes under the spotlight at FEI Sport Forum
December 2014:  International Equestrian Federation elects De Vos as new President