There was a race track at the fair grounds and some races had been run
off before the Bobbseys arrived. More were to take place soon.

Mr. Bobbsey and the other children were so interested in looking at the
prize cattle, at great hogs, some weighing nearly a thousand pounds, and
at bulls weighing more than this, that they did not notice the absence
of Freddie Bobbsey. That little chap, however, had slipped away and,
before he knew it, he was in the stable with the race horses.

As many of the stablemen were outside with their animals, some bringing
their steeds back from the track and others taking racers over to have a
part in the next contest, there were not many persons in the stable when
Freddie wandered there.

"Oh, what a nice lot of horses!" he exclaimed, and indeed the racers
were among the best of their kind. "I like horses!" went on Freddie.

One beautiful animal leaned out of its stall and rubbed a velvet nose on
Freddie's shoulder.

"You like me, don't you, horsie?" asked the little chap. The horse
whinnied, which might mean anything, but Freddie took it for "yes."

"I guess maybe you'd like to have me get on your back," he said. "I got
on one of Uncle Dan's horses once. I know how to ride."

The horse was in a large box stall, and the door was not hard to open.
In walked Freddie, and, by standing up on a keg which was in the stall,
he managed to scramble up on the back of the horse. To keep from sliding