Horses and gates

[Lesleyxxx]

Is it normal for horses to just wander in and out of  gates? I'm having to keep the  big main gates locked for fear of them running off cos they go through the smaller gates all the time.  They kept running around the  house too. I had to fence it off to stop that.

It's a shame as I missed a visit by a racoon due to the main gate being locked. By the time my sim got there to unlock it the racoon had run off.

Another thing I've been wondering about.  If you have visitors that arrive riding their horse, do you pasture it with your horses or should there be a smaller field just for visiting horses?
 

[MaryMarsh]

Lesley ... the gates are pain in the butt to be sure  A couple of times I've forgotten to lock mine and ALL of the horses (including two foals) ran through. Trust me, real horses are exactly the same.

My pasture is setup so that the entire lot is fenced; then, there are secondary fences and gates. Since putting up the photo of my spread I've sectioned off a small corale next to my barn/stalls. This is where I saddle and mount before competion; thus, I no longer have to worry about forgetting to lock a gate. I'm kind of playing the game as realistically as possible, so I really don't want a bunch of wild critters on my property.

As for visitors with horses, I see no problem with letting the visitors roam with your own herd.

[Twinmum]

I posted about the horses just wandering through the gate in another topic. I've found that they may go galloping about off the block, but they come home. Now, I just have a fence around my garden with the gate locked to pets because they like to get in there and eat the produce before I pick it.

[Lesleyxxx]

Is it possible to lock any gate? Or are there specific gates that can lock?  My main ranch gates lock, but they're the automatic gates with the call box. I'm wondering if the small gates will lock too? [I can't check as I've shut the game down for the night. UK time is after 10pm now]

I really must pluck up courage and try a race. I've been ignoring the option while my sims builds good bonds with the horses.

[Twinmum]

You should be able to lock ant gate, just like any door. Just (right?) click on it for the options. Sorry, it's early morning here and I can't think properly till the coffee kicks in and I haven't fired up my game yet lol

[Lesleyxxx]

Good one!  I hadn't realised I could lock any gate or any door.  I show how new I am to Sims. I have a lot to learn.

[Merrier]

Yep, you can now lock any gate just for pets in addition to the usual 'my household, me, etc.' options.

Speaking of gates...since I got Pets I started a new family with just a couple cats. It's been a while since I've played Sims, and I wanted to start slow getting back into it.

After I got comfortable, I copied my rich Bridgeport sims to the library and moved them into a horse ranch in the new town. Since they're 4 and 5 star celebrities, the paparazzi immediately started annoying me. I fenced in the whole place and locked everything to my household to keep them out.

Since I wanted to concentrate on my couple training their horses, I hired a maid. The maid couldn't get in the gate. I unlocked the gate to let her in and the paparazzi flood followed. They were interfering with everything I tried to do with the horses. Grrr.

So, I thought maybe a butler would work. I got a basement put in to make room for the butler, hired one, and they were locked out. I've unlocked the gate to let her in and locked it after her. Will that be a problem? Is there any reason she would have to 'get out'? Like I said, it's been a few months since I played, so I'm really rusty.

[MaryMarsh]

the paparazzi immediately started annoying me. I fenced in the whole place and locked everything to my household to keep them out.

With my last family of sims, both of whom were 5-star celebs, I got really sick of paparazzi so I began having them follow me to my garage, which I never actually used. Once they entered there I'd lock them in and forget them. Unlike other Sims, they don't die of starvation (as I'd hoped), but I did manage to capture all three and I never had to worry with them again. It would have made a good Alfred Hitchcock movie .... BWHAHAhahahaha

(sorry for getting off topic, but it was funny)

[Lesleyxxx]

I did similar with my musical sim last week. Waited til they were all grouped together, went into build mode and walled them in.  Hilarious thing was they were excited about it and kept cheering. Anyway, that night they just vanished so next morning I just deleted the walls again.

I'm wondering if a horse can get through a single gate? I haven't seen mine go through it yet, so thinking if I want to add a swimming pool can I keep the horses out of it with fencing and a single gate? [hoping swimming will be enough to help fitness levels for sim?]

[Twinmum]

Horses can't go through a single gate or a single gap in the fence for that matter. I found this out today when I tried to make my horse go into a pen with a single gate and it wouldn't go in. As soon as I put a double gate in, the horse entered

[VampirePlasma]

I have a problem, my gates won't stayed locked! I leave my horses there and go For A Ride and when I come back they aren't there! It's a bit annoying, can they unlock it by themselves? (Oh and don't get started on the garden!)

[MaryMarsh]

Vampire ... ensure it's your human sim who's locking the gates. Click on the gate, select Lock, then click Pets.

[GenTheHen]

Here's something I found out
Horses with the Neat trait NEVER eat your garden so NO need for fences

Guess you could keep a little fence around your garden and locked to "everyone but myself" As not sure if wild horses will eat your garden!!

[Twinmum]

Yes, wild horses will eat your plants.

[Machete Girl]

Since I bought pets my gates will not give the option to lock. Sometimes my sims act like the gates are not even there and can't go thru them. I hate the paparazzi and didn't know you cannot starve them. I usually reset them to get rid of them.