The foot is washed with solvent and dried with a heat gun. Foals undergoing this procedure are usually between two and five months of age. The size and weight of the foal makes reinforcing the toe extension necessary. Turner reports that there are no side effects. Surgical correction is immediate, and the ligament will eventually heal back together.
Full recovery takes about six to eight weeks.
I try to keep the bandages on their legs for an extended period of time so the cosmetics of the surgery turn out better. The toe extension is maintained for two months following the surgery. The heels are lowered as necessary from the point of the frog back, and the toe is rasped back from the front of the hoof wall until the desired hoof conformation is attained. We remove no sole anterior to the frog. When the desired effect is reached, we trim the foot normally.