You will need to continue with heartbar shoes until this has occurred and in some cases, heartbars may become a lifetime necessity. It is important from the very beginning not to allow the toe to become excessively long. This causes roll-over when the horse walks and subsequently, puts more stress on the recovering laminae. Total recovery time for my mare was approximately one year. Although your horse may make a full recovery it is important to understand that he will always be at high risk for repeated episodes.
Some horses are never again able to graze on grass.
Others need to be monitored, especially in the spring. When the lush spring grass arrives, it is a good idea to slowly introduce your horse to the grass beginning with short episodes and gradually increasing the amount of grazing time. I always make sure that my mare has had her ration of hay before being let out for her grazing period so that she is not going out on an empty stomach. I also purchased a sturdy leather muzzle which snaps on to her halter. She is still able to eat some grass but it limits the amount.