Too many gates?

[here to stay]

When I put in most of my fencing,  I had an undiagnosed illness that severely limited my energy.  So I decided that gates needed to be put in everywhere so I never had to walk far out of my way to get to where I wanted to go.  Mostly it's worked well, even though I really am much healthier now, it is very convenient.
Except when I get out of my routine.  Like the last two days I have been letting the horses into the garden area to eat the grass.  With the lack of rain, they have nuked their fields.   But I do put them back out after a few hours less they get too adventuresome in their eating.   
About 8 last night I put them back out of the yard, shut 3 gates into the yard that I leave open so there is an easy escape should a horse feel the need.  And forgot the fourth gate was open.  
Moving horses at midnight using a sweatshirt thrown over the neck as all the halters are far, far away and a flashlight stuck in the waistband of my jeans was so fun.  Luckily my old mare Tess is a slow thinker.  Finding herself back in a relatively grassless waste, it took her a minute to rethink her willingness to go through the gate, long enough for me to get her more lively herdmate through and shut the gate in her face as she was heading back into the garden.  Ha on you old girl.

[Maura]

Glad you got them all back where they belong. I’ve had the sheep and donkeys get out in the middle of the night. Fortunately, once you get one moving in the right direction the others will usually follow.

[countrymom22]

Glad you got everyone put away, safely. I have a similar problem with gates. Unfortunately everyone else in my family will go through a gate and either close it or leave it open. Whichever is the opposite of what it should be. I'm trying to teach everyone the first rule of the barnyard...if you open a gate, close it behind you. If you go through the gate and it is open, leave it open.

Oh, well. At least I get a lot of exercise putting all the gates back the way they belong and no one has escaped...yet!

[aoconnor]

I hear ya. I have gates, but try not to have too many. I have one usually on each end and then mid fence on my long fence lines, but only one or two on my smaller lines. We have a large ranch, walking around a fence line to the nearest gate can be a lengthy walk sometimes!

My horses are naughty when there is any gate left open. It stirs terror in my heart to see a perimeter gate open anywhere on my ranch, we have had bad experiences with horses on the road after dark and it isn't a lot of fun catching a herd of 23 horses in the pitch dark on a county highway. I did it once in my almost too short nightie, my tied at the waist robe flaring open in the front as I ran, and Ariat cowboy boots on. The "nice" man who helped me was kind enough to drive directly behind me with his brights on, just so I could see the horses ahead of me. Of course, when they all ran back up the side of the highway heading to the ranch, he made sure I could see real well by parking off a distance in front of me with his lights on while I was running, everything flaring out, to make sure the horses made the turn back onto our. road. I just LOVE the kindness of a stranger sometimes. LOVE it.

Good exercise though:-)

[WindyRidge]

There are some days I wish we had more gates, and some days I'm sure we have too many!

My big animal chasing story... So I'm at the hospital, in labor with my first daughter. We get a call the cows are out. So what's a good farm wife to do? I went home and helped chase the cows back in! Thankfully they cooperated. (Turns out the power company went through the fence and didn't bother to fix it or tell us so we could fix it.) And while we were home anyway, we did the evening milking and fed calves before going back to the hospital. Daughter was born the next morning.

Glad you got everyone put away safely!

[bergere]

There are times, I wish I had more gates, sure would make it easier.

My husband and son are good about keeping gates closed and I have those latches the horses can't open. Am sure though, they wish they did not have to go out two gates (open and close two gates) to go to Work or College,
specially in
bad weather.