new pony is hard to catch

Hmmm.... he sounds like a great pony.  It's not really his fault and you can probably win him over pretty easily.  He's feeling like the prey animal that he is and probably looks at all humans as preditors.  Can you get him in a round pen?  I really love the "hard to catch" problem because when my horses even START to walk away from me I do NOT go after them.  I just make them move, which might mean swatting them on the butt with the halter, since I have the halter and his butt is now towards me.  I keep them moving until they realize it might be better to stand and be caught OR if it's Zag, he has to come to me.  It usually doesn't take long.  But mine know this game.  Yours might need to learn it in a smaller (than a pasture) low pressure environment.  I'd take him in the round pen and work with him on it.  I'd take him in there and turn him loose and do all your grooming and handling.  If he moves away, then make him do a little trotting.  See if he will stop and look at you.  Any time he looks at you square, with both eyes, drop your hands and let off all pressure and call him in to you.  You might have to go get him and pull him into the center the first couple of times.  OH I wish I was there to help you!  I'm too tired to make much sense. 

hmm this sounds very frustrating, im lucky and got a horse who likes to be caught,
it sounds like he associates being caught with something bad so turn it around, find something good, usually food, or a special spot he likes to be rubbed, when you go out to catch him be calm and happy and he will pick up on your feeling then talk light and happy and if he jumps away just follow dont run after him that increases his want to run just follow him casually if you run at him your the predator and hes the prey his intincts will kick in and he will run from you, the important thing is to not get frustrated and if you do just stop and take a few deep breaths, if you have been following him for a while and hes not letting you get any closer get something to eat, hay or some grain and walk up to him again let him see you have something in your hand and naturally he will try to see what it is while he is snacking craftily slip the lead rope around his neck and give him a good rub, and viola he is caught. 
for the ears, my cousin has a horse who was extremly head shy and everyonce and a while he will freak out still if you catch him by surprise, but all we did was associate being touched on the head was a good thing, we built up his trust with us and then started touching his face as much as he would let us very lightly and only for a second, then as we progressed he let us touch more and more for longer now you can put your hand on his forhead and play with his bangs where as before he would have freaked out and ran from you
 
good luck with you pony! and dont give up just yet, he has one flaw but a whole list of good things goin for him, if that mattered i wouldnt have a horse anymore and i would be lost forever  

Oh, yeah, spend a couple of sessions teaching him to be caught, groom him, love on him and turn him back out.  He just needs to learn that you're his herd leader, imo.

My youngest daughter's pony was obviously abused, many brands on him and very head/ear shy.  We've had him about 2 years now and he's come a long way and is totally worth it.  He was afraid of everyone except the kids and especially men.  He didn't really run away though, just wouldn't let us get near him.  We made sure not to look at him when we walked to him, turned our shoulder so we didn't look threatening and approached slowly.  We would have goodies in our pockets, as soon as we got close, we would offer him a treat or a scratch and then walk away, not demanding anything of him. Within a couple weeks, he was fine to catch.  He can still be a little wary if the vet or farrier is here   2 years later, we have a pony who finally trusts me enough to actually relax and lean into a scratch   Within a year his ears were much better but it depends on how quickly you move.  It sounds like your guy is a great little pony and could be worth the extra effort.
 
Our paint enjoys the "catch me" game and would run merry circles around us. He wasn't afraid at all, the pill!! We started doing the "make him work" when he would turn his butt or move away and he quickly decided it wasn't as much fun as he thought.  He will still turn away sometimes but one flick of the lead rope in his direction and he quickly turns and faces me.  He still plays some games with my 13 year old-her reactions/body language aren't as good yet...... but he used to run away when it was time to be caught, when you wanted to put sunscreen or his fly mask on, etc. and now he is much better.
 
Goodluck with your pony!

DANA!  Are you talking about Spirit?  WOW he's such a great boy!  How about a picture?

Hi Beth,  Yep, Spirit came to us very sad and wary.  It has been neat to watch his personality blossom   Today the farrier came and Spirit was all wide-eyed and snorting but he kept poking me with his nose and sniffing me for reassurance which was wonderful.  Used to have to use a stud chain to get his feet done 'cause he'd run right over the top of you to get away from those scary men with tools in their hands.  Makes me sad to think that anyone would ever have mistreated him.......

Hooray! Today i had a big breakthrough with my hard to catch pony. He actually came in from the pasture when i led one of the other horses in. He went right into his stall!! That is a big step forward towards the day when i will be able to catch him. I didnt go to him, but rather i went up to my yearling haflinger who is very easy to catch and i led him while the other two ran behind me. So, maybe there is some hope for him after all!

Yay!!  Glad to hear he's doing better.  Maybe your other horses will show him the way, help him trust you.  Sometimes it just takes time   Sometimes it helps too, to separate a new horse from your others until he has bonded with you, only has you for company.  That worked with my PMU colt, although he started thinking he was a dog!!!

Well, i did keep him in the small corral in front of my barn for a couple days. I had it fixed so he could go in his stall whenever he wanted or go outside if he wanted but couldnt go out in the big pasture with the others. I think that helped a lot cause he knew he couldnt get away from me in the corral and i spent a lot of time petting him there. This pony is really high spirited. He would make an excellent kids game pony. I bought him for trail riding but i think hes going to be too fast for that, so i may trade him back for another quieter pony the same girl has. But im glad that he now comes in the barn so at least i can catch him from there for now.

I would try the Clinton Anderson method on catching horses. I use all his tips and tricks, and it works wonders with my Tb's.