cant catch my horse

Question
QUESTION: hi, i have a horse that refuses to be caught, iv tried a join up but he refuses to come in, i have amples of paitence however i can only catch him if i bribe him with food. please help.

kind regards

ANSWER: Hi Athena.
  One quick question: can you catch him in the stall? Or is he tough whether he's in the stall or turned out? Let me know, and I'll see what I can suggest to help. Oh--three more questions! How long have you had him? Do you know anything about his back ground? Is this a new problem?
Anne Stepien

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: hi, it is both in stall and paddock, iv only had him for 8 months he does trust me, just refuses to be caught, i know he was miss treated way back when he was younger, however he is amazing under saddle, any help would be much appreciated

Answer
Hi Athena.
  I thought something must have happened in his past. It breaks my heart that anyone could mistreat such magnificent creatures.....
  I really only have a few things for you right now. I assume you leave a halter on him at all times? What we do here with some horses that are hard to catch is to leave a length of rope, or lead shank about 12" long snapped into the bottom ring of the head halter. If you aren't leaving a head halter on him at all times, I strongly recommend it. If you are concerned about him catching the halter on something, safety halters (sometimes called breakaway halters) are common and fairly cheap. (Under $30 US.) The way they work is if a certain amount of pressure (believe it's about 50 lbs) is put on the halter, the halter releases so your horse isn't caught on anything. Here's a link if you haven't seen them:
http://www.smartpakequine.com/safety-halters-2425p.aspx
  I would also really make use of the positive reinforcement. Is there a treat (apples, carrots, sugar cubes, etc) that he especially likes? I would give him one of these treats only after he lets you catch him. And of course..tell him what a good boy he is, pat his neck, rub his special scratchy spot (all horses seem to have one, don't they?) and give him his treat. You might also try catching him and giving him his treat just to do something he really likes. I might be hard to catch too if everytime someone came and got me it was to go to work!
  Two other things, since you get my brain started. (Do you smell the smoke????) I wonder if there's a problem with his eyes. If his vision is off, he might not realize that it's you--a person he trusts---that's trying to catch him. I had a filly years ago that we had to race with amber goggles on...a horse's equivalent of eye glasses. Also, when he's turned out, is he turned out by himself? If not, does he get curious and come closer when one of the other horses is caught?
  Best of luck, and please let me know how you make out!
Anne Stepien