How to Approach Strangers at a Horse Racing Event

One of the joys of horse racing is experiencing an environment where normal social rules are relaxed. The micro-culture within a racing event allows people from different classes and backgrounds to intermingle as essential equals, all of them bound by the common experience of watching and betting on the races. It becomes easier to approach strangers at such an event: everyone's guard is down and there are often long stretches between races to chat. If you do so, however, take care to approach those you don't know properly.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

1. Smile when you approach a stranger. Smiling becomes more common at race tracks, with a friendly atmosphere to help offset the tension of betting. Adopt an open, informal attitude at a horse racing event and allow yourself to reflect easygoing body language.
2. Emphasize common ground when you speak. A horse racing event gathers people from all walks of life, with vastly different backgrounds and social experiences. Rather than embarking on unknown conversational ground, speak about the races, the jockeys, the horses and the odds. The shared experience is part of what makes horse racing enjoyable and becomes an easy way to break the ice.
3. Refrain from prying into the lives of any strangers outside of the park. Like fairs and carnivals, horse racing events reflect a sort of cultural "time out," where the rules of the outside world are relaxed. It's considered poor manners to ask about anything not pertinent to the event, especially strangers.
4. Behave courteously towards women. Yes, this is the 21st century and sisters have been doing for themselves for quite some time. But men tend to follow more old-fashioned rules regarding "ladies" at a horse race, treating them with courtesy and deference at all times. It stems from the upper-class traditions of horse racing and is intended to let women feel more comfortable in the confines of the race track.
5. Adopt the collective amnesia rule. This means not holding any admonitions, "surefire" bets or other sage advice delivered by strangers against them. The minute the race is run, such banter needs to be forgotten, even if bad advice cost you a fortune. The rule is an absolute necessity to maintain civility at a horse racing event.

Tips & Warnings

• A race card makes a good conversation piece in order to approach a stranger at a horse racing event. It provides an instant focus to the conversation, as well as common ground to be shared and an easy way to compare notes.
• Just as you should refrain from prying too deeply into others' affairs, take care to limit how much you reveal about yourself at a horse racing event. Crooks and scam artists remain staples at horse races, as unfortunate as that may be, and while casual conversation about the races is perfectly acceptable, beware of anyone asking anything more personal.