back to square one

After that disastrous turn of events, I turned him out in a large paddock to contemplate what to do with my "new" horse. He was worse than unbroke, he was carrying a lot of baggage from bad experiences. There was no way that I could pass him on without full disclosure, and I was worried that he could hurt someone. Even though he's a lovely well-bred horse, he was worthless being unbroke.
The first day after turning him out, I decided that he would have to come to me for everything. I held his bucket to eat (no grass in the paddock), I hand fed him hay, and he had to walk around me to get to the water tank. Otherwise he would avoid me, and I danged sure wasn't catching him with all that running room! He would take a bite at a time, then move away. It took a week for him to put his head in a bucket and remain there for an entire meal. Hours were spent doling out handfuls of hay; what a way to contemplate the universe!
I finally got the point that I could put the bucket down and stand by his side rubbing his neck while he ate. Anywhere else was too much, though. I gave him that and just rubbed and talked to him. I progressed to rubbing him with a halter while he ate, and eventually haltered him every time before I fed him, so it just became part of normal routine. Want to eat, stick your nose in a halter.