I want to ask what yall would have done about a situation. I walked away from something today and am beating myself up about it. Sarah Lee in her new pasture. It's hotwired and the gate just two wires with insulated handles. It's maybe 5 feet wide. The owner wasn't home and I couldn't find the off switch. She has a pink gas golf like cart that she drives around. It was parked maybe 6 feet in front of the gate. Sarah Lee very skiddish around it. I make her check it out and she's getting better but just does not like it. I tried to move it but the battery dead. I guess that's why it got left where it was. I though and thought about how to do it but I was concerned that she would move over when she got close and touch the hot wire and if she backed out I would be ok but if she went forward I would have been between her and the cart. I left her and went and worked with Okie but she really wanted out. I needed her to come out straight and then turn right and walk out around the cart. I thought about leading her from the right so I could keep her over but that was putting me between her and the post. I feel like I should have at least tried but I just didn't know what to do and didn't want either one of us hurt but now I'm made at myself and thinking I should have just done it. I hate when I over think stuff:')
I don't know Cindy.... I wish you had the confidence and control to lead that horse anywhere. If it's like I picture it from your description, where it's a little bit of a challenge to get your horse out, while keeping the other horses in, and get those handle gates closed and get her past a boogie at the same time, that's the kind of challenge that causes mistakes to happen, and a bunch of horses getting loose is worse than being conservative about it.
Here's a new project for you then - teach Sarah Lee to lead from both sides, and work on teaching her to go through a gate and then swing her rump around (so you can close the gate). A lot of our horses have to do that, since there is more than one in a paddock sometimes, and we only want one out. It's a good thing for her to learn under saddle too :)
Well, I think you did the right thing by not trying it. Working on a problem with tight places and boogery things in a safe environment is one thing, but working on them between an electric fence and a potential leg-cutting object is quite another. If you want to work on desensitizing her to the golf cart, do it out in the wide open spaces first. Then when she's ok with that, you can move on to tighter quarters. Better safe than sorry is my motto. Good decision!