I got out my cheap one-piece, knotted halter and lead rope combo, figuring that he'd have a heck of a time untying the knot. I was right about that, but the lead rope is thinner than my normal ones and is made of a slippery nylon material. I had secured it to my tie ring and he pulled and fussed with the tail end of the rope until he managed to work it free--not something that ever happens with my usual ropes!
I've finally outsmarted him though! I use the cheap knotted halter & lead, but instead of leaving the tail dangling freely, I loosely wrap it down the post and tuck the tail end behind the post so he can't get to it. Works great so far!
Worked a lot this week on approach and retreat from different angles and speeds. I also re-taught him haltering. I hadn't expected to do that and I could have easily just put the halter on him, but his body language was telling me he just wasn't comfortable being haltered. We worked on that until he was better able to keep his head relaxed and near me (as opposed to leaning away from me) as I looped the halter around his neck.
He got a bath on Wednesday. I was tired of him freaking out every time I brought out the hose to water him, so I desensitized him to the hose and got him comfortable with having the water run over him. He was shaking like a leaf at first, but gradually relaxed with it.
The video shows another task we worked on--sending through the gate. This task is similar to sending a horse into a straight load trailer, especially with the wall of the barn adding a bit of a "squeeze". At first he refused to go through at all. Then he would bolt through, whirl and charge right back to where he started. Now I've finally got him so that he will walk through relatively quietly and usually comes back through calmly.