How to Catch a Horse

Casually stroll into the pasture.  Watch horse.
In this case, horse waited until John got right up next to him, then took off running up and down the fence line, skidding around and scaring himself and making himself more wound up.
Ignore horse.  Walk another direction.  Horse will follow.
Gradually corner horse using fence line, body, and tree.  Slyly pen horse in open goat stall and leap forward and slam gate shut.
Back up plan is barn door open, in case horse runs in.

John said turn him out with his leather halter on (no lead rope), so you can just grab halter and clip lead rope.  He said Duke is genuinely terrified of being caught, and is going to eventually hurt himself, either hurt a leg or go through the fence.  He said a mare is no good, Duke will be an instigator and will get the shit kicked out of a front leg and end his career.  He said build a chase pen (?) or extend the fence line 20' so I can corner him in and he doesn't have the whole pasture to run around in.  And don't yell, hit, or be anxious; he planned to spend 2 hours catching Duke, with nothing else to do.
He said let him have water, he'll colic.  And that it's super hard to catch a horse who doesn't mind starving to death instead of being caught.

I asked him to ride Duke the first few shows of the season, and then we'll see, Twin, Spokane, EI, maybe Inavale, don't know Rebecca.  I'll ride him Aspen.

Then we did a crazy hard dressage lesson.  John had us ride a 20 meter circle, then a 10 meter.  When Duke is popping his shoulder to the outside, counterbend him.  When I feel his shoulder go to the inside, he can go back to regular bend.
I had more success with the down transitions using the outside hand squeezing steady, and the inside hand squeeze and release.  and LEG ON.
John wants me to move my hips more in canter - sit/glide/sit/glide, and then get my back up (good posture) not hunched over.  It is really hard to both sit up and push my butt down and let it glide.  My theory is I'm not coordinated enough.  John says it's just really hard to use your hip flexors.
He had me ride Duke really forward, and then get him round.  He said that in our accidental time off, Duke fell back into bad habits; he's a horse who needs to be ridden every step (he didn't quite say it like that), but if you don't ask him what to do and hold him accountable, he goes back to his easy way (pop the shoulder out, grab the bit and dive down).
Duke was during the lesson, like yesterday, really trying hard.  Which makes me wish I could turn him out; I think it's good for him mentally.
The lesson was really hard, Duke got sweaty even with his clipping.  But it's hard to put into words.
I was thinking, when I was stewing about him running away, that he's actually a pretty challenging horse, (I was actually thinking how I've ruined him) so I was trying to think of all the ways he's improved in the 2 1/2 years I've had him.  Most of the time I can bridle him.  He quit biting me.  He hasn't bolted or frozen in a year.  He doesn't canter around tilted like a crazy motorcycle.  He doesn't grab the bit and bolt towards the fence.  But he does run away like an asshole, and he rarely gives me anything; he makes me work for it.