PLAN OF THE WOEK. 29 



the right way to do certain things, after losing perhaps 

 years in doing them the wrong way. My friends were 

 good enough to insist that my more than twenty years 

 of experience in training trotters had been successful 

 ones, and that that success was mainly due to the fact 

 that the Palo Alto system of training was original in 

 many of its features, and differed therein radically 

 from conventional ideas. They urged, moreover, that 

 I owed it not only to myself but to the trotting-horse 

 public to write in book form what my experience was, 

 and what it had taught, that others might profit by it 

 The chief obstacle in the way was lack of time to do 

 the work justice — for I am a very busy man — but 

 finally, with many misgivings, the work was detei'- 

 mined upon, and within the covers of this book are the 

 results. 



After the work took definite shape in my mind, a 

 somewhat difficult question arose as to the best order 

 of procedure. Should I first explain a system of train- 

 ing and then tell what had been accomphshed b}^ it, 

 or should I relate my experiences merely in training, 

 tell how I did a certain thing, and let the reader judge 

 whether it was right or wrong? My primary object in 

 writing the book was not to ])ose as a storv-teller, re- 

 lating my own exploits merely for the pleasure of self- 

 horn blowing, but to endeavor to clearly explain what 

 I believe to be the best system of training horses to 

 trot fast. At the same time it is essential to have the 

 work readable and interesting as well as instructive, 

 and to most effectually serve these ends I have thought 

 best to begin at the beginning, relate the story of 

 Si>^uggler and other early horses, give a history of 



