It's been almost a year since Shaun joined the herd here in Kansas.  Before he shipped out from Washington state, I asked the folks taking care of him to pull his shoes.  I knew he was stalled in soft shavings, and turnout was also pretty decent footing.  Shipping is better for the horse, better traction, if they are barefoot.  Shaun couldn't tolerate being barefoot, and went lame almost immediatly.  I had him shod right off.  He's been shod ever since.
Race horses are shod before every race, and that starts pretty early in life.  Shaun averaged a race a week before he was retired, and that makes for a lot of nail holes, contracted heels and overall poor hoof condition.  It didn't help that he was starved when he was placed in the kill pen, his hoof wall was horribly thin, and he had little sole to work with.  No wonder he couldn't tolerate being barefoot.
Shaun has been sponsored by Emerald Valley Equine, which has supplied his hoof supplements right from the beginning.  It's some of the best, and most complete supplements I've found.  Now all my horses are on Formula4Feet, and you can tell by their shiny coats and rock hard feet. 
So like I said, one year later and another miracle!  Last week I pulled Shaun's shoes, the trimmer came out and cleaned up his feet, and he is now pasture sound!  Yes!  He is barefoot!  He's still a bit ouchy on gravel, but doing real well in the pasture.  He RUNS!  Nary a misstep!  I didn't think this horse would ever be able to go barefoot! 
Yes, I pulled his shoes.  I didn't intend that part as I had never pulled a shoe in my life!  The barefoot trimmer was supposed to be there in two days for that part.  However, (and isn't there always a "however" with horses?) when I got home from a clinic that Sunday evening, I noticed both Shaun's front shoes were sideways and one was bent!  He was limping on both front feet!  I had already turned out Eclipse, the horse I had just returned with from Missouri. So the mares were literally heading for the back 40 by the time I realized he was in trouble.  I quickly threw the halter and lead I just took off Eclipse onto Shaun and started heading down to the small pasture by the house.  I knew I had a pair of nippers somewhere, and just wanted to contain him so he wouldn't do more damage. 
Nice idea, huh?  Shaun didn't think so!  He danced, he pranced, and even kicked out at me, trying to reunite with the mares that were heading away from us.  I INSISTED he come with me, he screamed for the mares, and thankfully they came running.  I might have done a little screaming myself, just sayin.  Eclipse and Bit joined us, and I headed the herd down to the little pasture, through the gate and hoped everyone would nose dive for the brom hay and stay put while I grabbed my nippers from the house.
I knew things might have that magical flow when the first place I looked, I saw my nippers.  Why do I have nippers? No clue.  Saw them the week before and thought, "I don't remember getting those."  I ran back up the hill, through the gate and there was the herd, right where I left them.  I picked up the lead rope attached to my four legged kite, and true to form, he began to fly around.  Probably because about that time, the mares decided to head for better pickin's down the hill, and we both watched as their well rounded butts disappeared over the hill. Crap.
I had just learned at a centered riding clinic how to do breathing whoa's.  It's a HAAAAaaaaa kind of breath, and it's great for stopping your horse, and sending that big engine right down to idle.  Could it work for Shaun?  Couldn't hurt.  I looked him in his panicked eye and breathed, HAAAAAaaaaaaa.  He stopped dancing around, and practically vibrated with tension.  HAAAAAaaaaaaa.  He looked at me, licked and chewed.  HAAAAaaaaa.  He lowered his head.  HAAAAAaaaaa.  "Shaun, I'm going to pull your shoes so you won't hurt anymore.  You are just going to have to trust me." 
When you pick up one of Shaun's feet?  It's like picking up a something bolted to the ground.  We are working on it, but he's challenging.  Long story.  It's a race horse thang.  My back is bad, I have a shoulder impingement, so I really needed him to stand still and cooperate.  I reached down, and picked up his foot.  It was weightless.  HAAAAaaaaa.  I knelt down on one knee and rested the front of his hoof on my knee.  No hoof jack, I had to improvise.
I tried to remember just how the farrier pulled Shaun's shoes.  HAAAaaaa.  That one was for me.  Oh yeah, nip the nails on the hoof side so you cut off the curvy bit.  There.  It pulled right off.  I trimmed his toe, so he had a nice break over, and then the sides.  Then the other side, all the while breathing those nice, calming breaths.  When I was done, I gave him a rub on the neck and thanked him for being such a good boy.  After removing the halter and lead?  He just stood there with me.  No mares, just me and him.  We HAAAAAaaaa'd together.  He took his first barefoot steps since he was a colt. Tentative at first, expecting pain.  He was a bit off from that darn bent shoe, but not bad. It wasn't because he was barefoot, he was going to be fine.  HAAAAaaaaaa.