A
cattle grid (UK English), also known as a
stock grid in Australia;
cattle guard in
American English; and
vehicle pass,
Texas gate, or
stock gap in the U.S. Southeast;
[1] or a
cattle stop in
New Zealand English – is a type of obstacle used to prevent
livestock, such as
sheep,
cattle,
pigs,
horses, or
mules from passing along a road or railway which penetrates the fencing surrounding an enclosed piece of land. It consists of a depression in the road covered by a transverse grid of bars or tubes, normally made of metal and firmly fixed to the ground on either side of the depression, such that the gaps between them are wide enough for
animals' legs to fall through, but sufficiently narrow not to impede a wheeled vehicle or human foot. This provides an effective barrier to animals without impeding wheeled vehicles, as the animals are reluctant to walk on the grates.