Please Help!!

Question
I bought a sweet as can be 11 year old Arabian gelding last April. He was with a woman who purchased him from an auction, she decided to sell him because he was such a submissive horse to other horses and got beat up badly. She recommended that he be an only horse or have just one buddy.  When we bought him and brought him home he would let anyone ride and lead him with absolutely no problems. He was that way for a few months but since then he has been getting more and more dangerous. We can no longer have kids ride him anywhere, I can ride him but only in the pasture. If I try to take him out of the pasture and onto the trails, he stops before he leaves the yard and just refuses to go. At that point if I give any "forward" cues, he gives out as many nasty bucks as he can get away with. I can't lead him anywhere. When I try, he'll be good for a few seconds and then tosses his head and shoves me. He refuses to lunge now, too. I really don't think that it's that I'm letting him get away with bad behaviors, because I do get after him when he's naughty, and I let him know when he's been good.  
I've tried treats. I've tried spurs. I've tried doing positive things that he enjoys, but it's just so hard to find something I can actually DO with him.
Could it be that he just forgot his place being an only horse? Maybe he's lonely? He used to be such a willing to please good boy.

Thanks
Faith

Answer
Hi Faith,
Sorry it took me a bit to get back to you. Your situation sounds frustrating! What it sounds like is that your guy is NOT an alpha horse, he is the lower tier kind of guy who follows a leader- that's what horses do. That being said now we need to come up with some ideas for you and him to work on that show him you are the leader. Maybe you could saddle him up and ride him in your field, keep him going for a good long while and then offer him to go have a rest at the start of the trail. Walking up to the trail when he turns his head to go back to the pasture say "Good Idea!" and trot him back to the middle of the pasture and work him and work him until you can offer the same good deal of relaxing if he heads toward the trail. Now we have to remember to start with baby steps- if he walks toward the trail and makes it a bit further than you were expecting I would ask him to stop (as long as his head is still facing out to the trail) and if he can stand there for a bit get off and let him graze. We want to make your idea the easiest one and his idea more challenging. I think the leading is very important and needs to be addressed. Can you back him out of your space? Can you lead him about ten feet ahead of him? If you move toward him shaking your rope will he move out of your space? Horses are naturally IN TO pressure animals, they always test each other when they are out and he will test your space too. The good thing is you know from how he was with his herd he is testing you but also pretty good at being moved out of the alpha's space.
Let me know what goes on with him and maybe we can come up with a few more ideas for him.
Best Wishes,
Caitlin Day Huntress