FEI appoints Todd Hinde of Australia as new Director of Jumping

Todd Hinde (AUS), 35, has been appointed as the new FEI Director of Jumping.

 

Hinde, who holds a wealth of experience in Jumping as an athlete and chef d’équipe of the Australian team, comes to the FEI from Equestrian Australia where he has been serving as High Performance Jumping Manager since 2019.

 

Horses have always been an important part of Hinde’s life. From a very young age, he would accompany his uncle and grandfather, who both competed successfully in Jumping, to shows around Australia. Over these formative years, Hinde would gain extensive experience, with several horses on the go by the time he had turned 18, and a solid understanding of the equestrian landscape. When he finished school, he would go on to become an accredited Auctioneer for Real Estate, Stock and Station and worked as a stock agent auctioneer in Albury in New South Wales for five years. Throughout his time in Albury, he would continue to ride and compete as often as possible.

 

Hinde’s next move was to Sydney where he worked at a performance horse stable, which led to a relocation to Europe for three years. From 2012 to 2015, he would also compete actively in Australia, Belgium, Germany, Portugal, and Spain going up to CSI3* level.

 

After relocating back to Sydney at the beginning of 2016, Hinde took up a position managing an equestrian business in the Hawkesbury region of New South Wales, before securing the role of chef d’équipe in 2017 for the Australian Jumping team in the build up to the FEI World Equestrian Games™ Tryon 2018. Despite the challenges linked to flooding and issues with the groom’s accommodation in Tryon, the tenure proved very successful with the Australian team placing sixth overall and securing Olympic qualification for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

 

After WEG 2018 and prior to his appointment as High Performance Jumping Manager for Equestrian Australia in 2019, Hinde focussed on developing performance plans and monitoring the progress of top competitors nationally and internationally, whilst also serving as chef d’équipe for two trans-Tasman Young Rider Challenges in New Zealand and the Australian Nations Cup Team in the USA, where they would secure top placings.

 

“We are delighted to welcome Todd Hinde to the FEI,” FEI Secretary General Sabrina Ibáñez said. “After the sad passing of former Jumping director and friend Marco Fusté earlier this year, we conducted an extensive recruitment process, which was open to candidates worldwide. Todd came on top as the obvious choice given his success as an athlete, chef d’équipe, and administrator.

 

“Todd joins the FEI at a crucial moment for the sport of Jumping, with preparations for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in full swing alongside the imminent re-launch of the FEI’s oldest and most prestigious series - the Longines League of Nations – in 2024, and the emergence of new nations and regions at the top level, among others.

 

“His Australian roots, international experience, and dynamic outlook will undoubtedly prove hugely beneficial as he prepares to pick up where Marco left off, and create a new legacy for the future of FEI Jumping.”

 

"It is with great honour that I take up this position in the sport that I am so passionate about,” newly appointed FEI Director of Jumping Todd Hinde said. “I look forward to working with the FEI Team and all the sport’s stakeholders, to ensure that we continue to develop the discipline of Jumping together with integrity and horsemanship at the core of all endeavours.”

 

Todd Hinde will start at the FEI in his new role in principle in September.

 

Photo caption: Todd Hinde (AUS) has been appointed as the new FEI Director of Jumping