What Is a Throat Latch?

Tack

• The throatlatch is one of the five basic parts of a formal or English bridle; the others are the browband, the cheek pieces, the crown piece and the noseband. It connects the cheek pieces, passing under the horse's jaw, and its function is to help keep the bridle on the horse's head. These bridles are based on cavalry tack, which needed multiple safeguards to maintain control of the horse under battle conditions. A throatlatch is used less often on contemporary Western bridles, especially those designed to display the horse's conformation in competition. The most basic bridle is the so-called "war bridle" used by the aboriginal Native Americans, which consisted of nothing but a thin rope passed through the horse's mouth and secured under the chin, forming both a bit and a contiguous single rein.

Anatomy

• The throatlatch is that part of the underside of a horse's neck where it joins the head at the jaw and the trachea passes through. The neck should come into the jaw with a space between the jaws that will accommodate a human fist. A "clean" or correctly angled throatlatch shows that there is a clear airway from the nostrils to the lungs and is considered a mark of elegance and good breeding. It also allows the horse to flex the neck for collection and balance.

Swollen Throatlatch

• If your horse suddenly looks like a hamster with full cheek pouches, it may be a sigh of a bacterial infection known as strangles, one of the most common contagious diseases of horses. This is sometimes called "distemper," but is the equine equivalent of human's strep throat. It was first documented in 1251 AD and tends to affect young horses; it can be fatal in foals. Other causes of a swollen throatlatch include allergy, insect bite, trauma, air retention and other of the same reasons for swollen lymph glands in people. If your horse's throatlatch is visibly swollen call your veterinarian, especially if its breathing is affected.