A: Absolutely yes. Barefoot is not the same as simply taking the shoes off. A horse should never be taken barefoot without the horse and owner both being prepared, and the timing being right for both.
All trimmers will be happy to come along to meet you and your horses and discuss the options and issues involved in going barefoot without pressure or obligation. If you want to, you can also come and meet my horses and see how they have adjusted to barefoot.
The partnership between trimmer and client is key for the horse, we both have to be aligned in our objectives for the horse and share a high level of confidence and trust.
Q: What does a good bare hoof look like? 
A: A good barefoot hoof has a nice thick hoof wall, a good thick concave sole, a good tight white line, correct toe length, low heels, a wide frog, well developed heels, and a straight hairline. The frog will sit in a solar "dish".
Typically x-rays will show a good conditioned bare hoof having 20mm to 25mm of wall and sole thickness.
Q: What does the term "Transition" mean?
Transition is the phase after pulling shoes when the horse rebuilds and restores his hooves, achieving a level of comfort, soundness and usability. For some horses there is no transition period, for other horses there may be a transition period of a few weeks to a few months.
It all depends on the starting point - the health of a horse's hoof at the time of shoe removal will influence immediate soundness more than anything else. Most horses are completely sound on turnout and in the arena immediatelly, but some horses may need time to condition their hooves before being comfortable on rough or challenging surfaces.
Remember - if your horse is sore when he comes out of shoes - he was more than likely sore when he was in shoes, but the shoes were masking it ot making it tollerable.
A: If you find yourself saying “my horse can never go barefoot, his feet are awful” then maybe your horse really needs to go barefoot, be free of shoes, and grow a new hoof that is of a far higher quality than the shod hoof he has today
A: lateral extensions are a way of balancing the hoof and providing support that is needed on the more upright side of the hoof, often on horses with spavin. My own experience is that they are easier to pull off as the horse plays around in the field than are ordinary shoes because of the additional exposed rim. The barefoot approach is to look a the whole leg up to the pelvis and allow the horse to grow the hoof that he needs to support what is above that hoof - he needs to grow a hoof of a particular shape to support both his particular conformation and the way that he moves. This hoof may be flared to the inside and steep on the outside - the "look" of the hoof is far less important tan the "function" of the hoof.
When the horse is allowed to grow the hoof that he needs, then he is often more sound than he is in shoes with lateral extensions. Often an owner seeks to correct what they perceive as a misshapen hoof by shoeing techniques - instead the question needs to be "why is the horse growing his hoof in that shape and what support is that providing for him?". Hooves grow in response to pressure and loading - often shoeing a horse with spavin can make the discomfort worse for the horse as he cannot grow the supporting areas in the hoof where he needs them.