Odd behavior--need suggestions

Ok, let me preface this by saying I am not an idiot. All evidence to the contrary, I really am not an idiot.

What I am, is spoiled. Mostly, my horses do what they are told. I have been blessed with excellent horses, most of whom had years and years of training before I got them--they are virtually impossible for me to screw up. With the ones we have raised, we have been exceptionally lucky that they have been so trainable, and that we have had really good people to start them for us.

Because of all that, it is odd for me to have a situation like this arise, and the regular things not work to fix it.

Anyone who reads this blog knows how much I love Radar and what a great horse he is. He has always acted like a grown up, even when he was 2. Now that he is four, he is even better. With the exception of the last week. His weirdness the day of the Great Battle was so strange that I blogged about it and whined about it for days. That was the first time he acted squirrelly about his left ear. It was really irritating, but it was not out of the question that something was wrong with it--like a tick up in there, etc.

The next ride on him was completely uneventful...that time it was just Madison and I on Radar and Gyro. All the things I love about him were there, in spades. The following day we rode with five other horses and he was wacky again. He still protested the handling of his left ear--although I could sneak the bridle on by working from the off side and forcing the issue a bit. Then he was normal until he had little spats of jackassery on the trip--nothing like on that Thursday, but not his regular self.

Being a dutiful horse owner, I called the vet to come handle it, and his teeth in case that was an issue, etc. Immediately upon his arrival, Radar proved there was nothing wrong with his ear. Doc handled it all over, and got no reaction. Not a thing. He was 100% sure there was nothing wrong with his ear, he just does not want to be bridled. It actually kind of pissed me off, because I felt stupid. It did answer the question of whether there was something wrong or if it was behavioral. His teeth were not great, so that was handled and I gave him the night off.

Tonight, I got to him late after my personal training session, but had promised Mad we would go out again, so we hurried to saddle up. That was fine, of course, but immediately upon trying to bridle him, he upped the ante. I had him tied at the trailer, so I untied and just held the rope while I tried to bridle him. He actually came off the ground that time, and had his head so high in the air that I could not reach him. I then worked from his other side, which is so awkward, but ultimately got it on him. As soon as it was on, he was totally fine, and we had an excellent ride, lasting until almost dark.

When we got back, I unsaddled, and then decided I would unbridle him in the stall so he could not try to get away from me as he had been attempting to do. That so did not help. I got it off with less trouble than I had gotten it on, and immediately set about trying to desensitive that ear. He completely anticipates that I will irritate him, and it seems his refusal/reaction starts earlier each time. He would let me scratch my way up his neck, and even massage right behind the ear (unhappily, but that is something), but once I got my hand between his ears, he would yank away from me. More than once, he wagged his head right into me--I swear I thought he had knocked my teeth loose once. And in the interest of full disclosure, I will admit I wacked him in the shoulder/chest for it. Had he hit Mad that hard, he would have sent her flying, and I am not having that bullshit. Even worse, wacking him seemed to help, which frustrates me.

I made him stand there and take the scratching and handling his ear area, with the intent of letting him go as soon as he put up with me touching that spot he did not want touched. I should have known we would be there awhile. And we were. Ultimately, I quit just short of there so we could end on a good note as I have a life to live and needed to get to it----having already missed America's Next Top Model over this, I was not about to miss Top Chef too.

I turned him out and went on about my other business of doctoring Uno--who is being so good, compared to yesterday. He was very still for digging around in it and getting new Underwoods--it is a pretty deep puncture wound, but the swelling is going down already. He is earning his way out of that stall and into a pen, I think, that is how good he is being.

I could not stand to leave without another try at Radar, so we got him out again--which is a whole other issue. If he is so pissed, why is he standing at the gate to get caught in the dark? Makes no sense. Had he run off to play or do other stuff, he would have gotten a pass. I decided to try a one-ear headstall on him--with the one ear thing going over the ear that does not piss him off. Rather than figure out if it bothered him, he just reacted. I got it on him, etc...and off, and turned him out. I did not consider that an improvement over earlier at all.

So I need suggestions. Battling it out like this is not going to work. He is stronger than me, and I do not want to deteriorate into phsyical struggles. I know to keep working on desensitiving his ear, but I have to have a go-to or I will never get to quit on a good note. Any thoughts?