Shane Rose Australian rider at Horse of the Year Hastings talks about wearing a mankini in the saddle. Video/Warren Buckland Reporter/ Mitchell Hageman
When you enter equestrian Shane Rose’s stable, you’re greeted with a warm smile, a hearty handshake and plenty of Aussie flags.
One thing is missing, though - the infamous mankini that made headlines across the world has been left across the ditch for this trip and won’t bemaking a surprise appearance during his Horse of the Year events.
Multi-Olympic medal-winning Rose took the internet by storm earlier this year, dressing in a variety of fancy dress costumes at an Australian event, including a neon-orange mankini.
“It’s bizarre. It obviously blew up at the time,” he laughs, fresh off his impressive dressage display with horse Virgil.
After a small temporary ban, a subsequent review of the incident cleared Rose, with governing bodies concluding he had not broken Equestrian Australia’s code of conduct.
“It could’ve been nasty, but I was confident I hadn’t done anything illegal and was just having a bit of fun.
“It’s sort of settled down at home, and then obviously, coming out here, a lot of people come up and have had a laugh with me. It’s pretty cool, and the amount of support I’ve received from people I’ve never met is amazing.”
Shane Rose with Virgil, at the Land Rover Horse of the Year event in Hastings. Photo / Warren Buckland
Well-known for his dedication to teaching and supporting equestrian sports development, he’s brought plenty of fresh faces with him to his first-ever Horse of the Year appearance.
All of them have their sights set firmly on a place for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
“We’ve got a really inexperienced team, with many who haven’t been in a team before, and it’s a good opportunity for them to come internationally to a great show like this and perform under pressure.
“A few of these guys are trying to get on the squad for Paris, so it’s a good stepping stone for them.”
The scale of Horse of the Year surprised Rose and his team, who was impressed by how things had been run so far.
“It’s a big show. I’ve been to a lot of events over here, and this is undoubtedly the biggest in terms of atmosphere for the horses.”
Shane Rose wearing a mankini during a showjumping event near Sydney. Photo / Instagram
While there are a few more opportunities for Rose and Virgil to compete, he hopes he can “tick all the boxes” at Horse of the Year.
He’s a strong advocate for having larger equestrian events on Australian soil and makes a significant effort to champion them so more riders have similar opportunities on the international stage.
“We have a lot of bigger shows with this [HoY] kind of atmosphere. If I can help create that, then we can give the horses the experience they need for heading overseas.
“If we just go around sheep paddocks and cattle paddocks like we often do, things tend to go south.”
While the mankini stays put for now, Rose isn’t ruling it out should things go well come the Olympics.
“I’m trying to keep a bit of a low profile with the federation at the moment, but look, if I get to Paris and do well, then expect some fun.”
It's the first time at Horse of the Year for Shane Rose, but he hasn't packed his mankini with him. Photo / Warren Buckland
Mitchell Hageman joined Hawke’s Bay Today in January 2023. From his Napier base, he writes regularly on social issues, arts and culture, and the community. He has a particular love for stories about ordinary people doing extraordinary things.
