  University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign  U of I logoCollege
of Veterinary Medicine  Back to search page.  The Ins and Outs
of Your Horse’s Guttural Pouch  Pet Column for the week of April
30, 2012  Related information:  Office of Public Engagement 2001
S. Lincoln Ave. Urbana, Illinois 61802 Phone: 217/333-2907
Andrea Lin Information Specialist  Source - Dr. Pamela Wilkins
People who own horses have probably heard of the guttural pouch
and the troubles associated with it. But what exactly are these
guttural pouches, and why do horses have them?  According to Dr.
Pamela Wilkins, who heads the equine medicine and surgery
section at the University of Illinois Veterinary Teaching
Hospital in Urbana, guttural pouches are not unique to equine
species, though equines do have some of the largest. Certain
species of rhinoceros, tapirs, bats, a South American forest
mouse, and hyraxes also have guttural pouches.  “In horses, the
guttural pouches are thought to regulate the temperature of
blood arriving to the brain