I should have asked how things are going with the steer before I typed all this:
How is the steer doing?
Almost every calf we have had that came off the pasture and into the pen has pulled the falling down thing. They were fighting the halter, and get off balance and down they go.
I would work them in a small pen like 12*12 and just give them their head a little and stand just behind their front shoulder. Keep the lead loose but push them around the pen. With the small pen you can keep them under control but not have to pull on their head as much.
Tie them up and make them walk to food and water, it is a slow process but if you keep your cool and take your time to work the fear out you will make process.
Story about patience and persistence
This was my sons last year, we picked up 2 steers that were broke to tie (this means they have had halters on and been tied, the end of their halter breaking) One calf was dog gentle, led, tied let you handle him from top to bottom. Other calf would freak when you tried to handle him, he would not fall down he would climb the fence, jump all over, do anything and everything to get away.
The calf really hated the rinsing and blowing out as soon as you would get past his flank he would freak, this went on for a week, by the end of the week he could get to the font shoulder before he would freak, an other week and he was at the neck before the freak-out would occur. This is where the progress seem to stop, went on for about 2 weeks. My son was starting to think he had wasted his money on the second calf.
The big day:
On this day it was raining so instead of rinsing we ran the calves into the tie out area, my son started blowing out the calf that had been giving him all the trouble was the closes calf so he started on him. We always start blowing out from the back and work to the front, he is finished blowing out the whole left side of the calf before he realized the calf never flinched; he even brushed his head with out a movement. From this point on the calf was fine.
If their mean you are more than likely out of luck, if they are just scared you can get past that point with patience and persistence.
Calm calf went on to help my son win showmanship, the other calf that might have been a waste of money, he was Reserve Grand out of 65 head.
Sorry for being long winded