Unilateral thyrohyoid muscle aplasia in a case of dorsal displacement of the soft palate

Summary Thyro‐hyoid muscle (TH) dysfunction has been reported as a potential contributing factor to dorsal displacement of the soft palate (DDSP) in the young equine athlete. A 5‐year‐old National Hunt (NH) mare presenting with a history of poor performance and respiratory noise was diagnosed with DDSP on exercising video‐endoscopic examination. Aplasia of the right thyrohyoid muscle was observed intraoperatively whilst performing a laryngeal tie forward (LTF) procedure. The procedure was reported to have resolved poor performance and respiratory noise, allowing the animal to return to race performance.