98 TRAINING THE TROTTING HORSE, 



bound to be a failure, it generally is one. The great 

 majority of men who succeed in any certain undertak- 

 ing are those who begin it with faith that they will 

 succeed. These characteristics of human nature in 

 part explain why my first essays with the new system 

 of training were almost heart-breaking failures. It is 

 my duty to detail these failures, not only as incidents 

 in the history of Palo Alto, but to point out that 

 should others try this plan of training and not at first 

 succeed, it would not be a surprising thing, and should 

 not be a discouragement. 



After I had worked Occident and Abe Edgington on 

 the new plan for about ten days, instead of improving 

 on their 2:19 and 2:22 trials, it would keep them work- 

 ing all the time to trot in 2:40. Just as an}^ other 

 trainer would, I at once jumped to the conclusion that 

 this new system of training trotters was one of the 

 many pretty theories that won't do in practice. So, I 

 went back and worked the horses on the old plan, 

 which I knew something about, and got them going 

 pretty well again. But then the Governor insisted 

 that I should follow his instructions, and the new idea 

 was worked on again with the same result. The horses 

 lost their speed apparentl}^ as completely as if we had 

 worked them over soft ground in a harrow. This was 

 in September, 1878. One day Governor Stanford 

 came down to the farm to see the horses work, as 

 both had engagements that week. The best Abe 

 Edgington could do was to get to the half in 1:14, and 

 it took him 0:47 to come home from the head of the 

 stretch. Occident's trial was even worse. Then I re- 

 peated Edgington, but he was unable to do better. 



