Going Through Gates

The gate is wide open, just go through it already!
Why is it that cattle will stand and stare at an open get but refuse to go through. It can be so frustrating. We can see that it is open. We can see that they could just walk right through, if only they would.
Cattle see things much differently than people do. Their eye muscles are weak. That means it takes them more time to focus on an object than it does for us.
When there is a shadow across a gate they don’t immediately recognize it as a shadow. They see a black pit, judging depth is difficult. They don’t know if it is a dark spot on the ground or a hole.
Stepping back and giving them time to look and get focused can help them decide it is safe to go through.