In sport, as in life, there are generally two categories of transgression. There are the gravely serious: the sexual assaults, match fixing and doping – the kinds of offences which warrant significant punishment commensurate with the crime.

Then there are the other kind. The oh-yep-they-went-there-but-didn’t-harm-anyone-in-the-process genre. This is where Todd Carney’s bubbler lives, and where Mitchell Pearce pretending to hump a small dog at a house party resides. As of last weekend, it is also where mounting a horse while wearing a mankini inhabits.

And it has to be said, Shane Rose was diligent in his efforts to avoid causing offence. There was no way his baloney pony was escaping the cap and electrical tape the two-time Olympic silver medallist applied to avoid any “mishaps” during his dress-up session at Wallaby Hill Extravaganza earlier this month.

That the question of whether Rose’s bits were adequately concealed has made global headlines in the first place is absurd, particularly considering the Australian did a pretty good job of upholding the event’s dress code. Wallaby Hill’s website states that, in its Equestrian Extravaganza, “eventers pit themselves against show-jumpers, while wearing outrageous costumes”.

The only stipulated dress requirements, according to the conditions of entry, are that: “Australian, European & American helmets standards will apply. All riders must wear riding boots and an approved helmet at all times whilst mounted, including presentations. Back protectors are optional for all other jumping phases.”

Photos of Rose from the day show he is indeed wearing riding boots and a helmet. He has complemented both with what he deemed an “outrageous costume”. For all intents and purposes, he appears to have followed the rules diligently.

If all is in order on that front, then, what of the unnamed complainant? Well, if one is attending a light-hearted event centred around outrageous costumes, it stands to reason that one should probably learn to govern one’s outrage.

From time to time, we have all seen a bottom we did not expect to see. The nudie run has long been an especially Australian (and British) celebration of failure and mediocrity. Streaking possesses its own storied history.

Even the mankini has been something of a cultural phenomenon for the almost two decades of Borat’s lifespan. The person who took offence may perhaps count themselves lucky they were watching a 50-year-old on horseback and not a marathon runner some two decades his senior (a quick Google image search throws up a few).