joining up when you have company?

I have six horses in one large paddock and they all run from me. I'd been doing a round up kind of thing before I knew about NH too. Our horses are a very close herd and they travel together. Everyone knows who you want to catch and they protect that one horse. What you have to do is become the new boss mare. No one will kick you if you just walk up and KNOW in your mind that you're going to catch his horse, weather it be in ten seconds or two hours, you will do it. I shush other horses away and if you have dominance in your mind they'll stay where you ask them to. If you are weak then they'll just continue their behaviors. Stand up for yourself and you wont even need to ask us anymore questions. Haha!

"No one will kick you if you just walk up and KNOW in your mind that you're going to catch this horse.."

I cannot agree with this statement. This is how someone who just reads books on NH gets themselves hurt.
Yes, be confidant, firm, use proper body language. But watch your back. Just because you believe yourself to be dominant, doesn't mean every horse will respect you all the time, especially in a herd situation. Believing you won't get kicked is not enough. You have to make sure you know where all the horses are, and never get between any in close quarters. People are most often not the target, but tend to get caught in the crossfire.

Then maybe my horses don't kick? The worst I've had is a horse so in pain that it wont stop running away.

All horses will kick. Lots of them do not kick very often, but they all kick. I think Skipsfirst point is that kicking doesn't necessary mean disrespect, but that it can happen reflexively and that it is prudent to be aware of the possibility of triggering that reflexive action unintentionally.

I have never seen my lesson horse kick, but I am still very careful not to startle him when I'm moving around his hindquarters, and I would not be willing to try to muscle into a clump of horses in a tight spot, all of whom are facing away from me and unable to change their position easily. Likewise, if I'm driving the horse away to make a point to him about doing the "right" thing, I make sure that there is a clear avenue of escape in front of the horse, and I do it from a position at the horse's side - even if whatever I'm doing is directed at his hindquarters (to get him to go forward away from it) I don't do it within the kick-zone.

If I did, and he kicked me, I would absolutely consider that kick to have been *my* fault.

I had the same problem with my rescue horse. I would just walk over to him to pet him and he would run away. It took time to get him to come around. Every time he would start to run away I would turn my back and drop my head. He would turn and look at me like 'what are you doing??". Eventually he would come closer and closer to me. Each time I would walk back towards him some. I did that until he would come up to me with my back to him and head down. I then would whistle to him and wait for a little bit to see if he would respond. At first he didn't. If he would just take one step towards me I would reward him and give him a treat. Now, if I whistle, he comes bolting up to me. I occasionally give him a treat so that he doesn't think that there is no point in coming up to me. I would say give the lesson horse a treat every 2 weeks or along that line, if he comes up to you. This is only after he will come up to you. Please don't critique my response as I'm only 12 years old. It has worked for me on multiple horses. I'm sorry if it doesn't work for you.

Thanks, Freckles, I think it sounds like a good suggestion.

Lately, to save hassle, the BO has put the horse in his stall out in the shed and left him there for me to halter up. It is easier to catch him, of course, but he gets VERY snippy and doesn't behave as well when I've got him in the crossties. I get the sense off him that he's...I dunno, offended. Or his feelings are injured. I don't know whether it's because he has to watch his paddock buddy getting to cruise around freely, or whether it's because he's missing out on the excitement of the chase.

I'm really tempted, if he's shut up next time I come to get him, to let him out so that we can play out our weird little ritual - because the end-result of that ritual is always that he consents to wear the halter (rather than being forced to wear the halter) and he behaves MUCH better if he thinks it's his choice.