HANDBOOK OF THE TURF. 163 



the carpal or knee joint. They are about two inches long and 

 three-fourths of an inch wide, pointed at each end, and situ- 

 ated obliquely, so that the long axis has its lower end pointed 

 backwards nearly to the hind border of the limb. Their nat- 

 ural color is dark slate, and their structure is much like that of 

 a wart or corn. 



The signification and utility of these structures are complete puzzles- 

 It they teach us nothing else, they alTorcl a valuable lesson as to our 

 own ignorance, for if we cannot guess at the meaning or use of a 

 structure so conspicuous to observation, and in an animal whose 

 mode of life more than any other we have had the fullest opport,u- 

 uity of becoming intimately acquainted witii, how can we be 

 expected to account, off-hand, for the endless strange variations of 

 form or structure which occur among animals wliose lives are 

 passed in situations entirely secluded from human observation, and 

 of wdiose habits and methods of existence we know absolutely 

 nothing?— The Horse, "William Henry Flower, C. B. 



Mandate. A proclamation ; an official paper announc- 

 ing the terms of agreement by which members of the trotting 

 associations are bound to be governed, and to carry out, in all 

 meetings, engagements and performances. 



Mane. The long hair growing on the neck and neigh- 

 boring parts of the horse, as distinguished from the tail and 

 shorter hair on the body. It grows on the middle line of the 

 neck or crest and falls naturally on the near or off side. 



Mane Pulling". A cruel practice once fashionable in 

 England, by which the hairs of the mane were thinned out for 

 the purpose of giving it a thin, graceful, fleecy appearance. 



Manage. A French term denoting the art of breaking, 

 training and riding horses ; a school for teaching the whole art 

 of equestrianism. 



Mange. A disease of the skin caused by parasitic acari, 

 or lice. A mangy horse is unsound. 



Manger. The crib from which a horse eats in the 

 stable ; a feed-box in which to give the horse oats, bran, or 

 roots. 



Mare. The female of the horse kind. 



Marey's Law. A law first affirmed by M. Marey, an 

 eminent French veterinarian, and now universally acknowl- 

 edged ; stated in these words : The muscles of speed in the 

 horse are long and slender, and those of strength short and 

 thick. 



Mark of Mouth. The mark of the mouth in horses 

 extends to the commencement of the ninth year, and from that 

 period to old age the wearing away of the crowns of the teeth 

 is such, that the fact of determining age by them is so uncer- 

 tain that the horse is said to be past the " mark of mouth." 



