The gate itself should be out of the way or opened behind the person in the gateway. Use narrow gateways for drafting - about two metres wide. Feed the stock through one at a time, at a gentle pace. Cattle respond to calm, gentle handling. Never use electric prodders during drafting.
Cattle stop quickly when objects they can see are put in front of their heads.
Polythene pipe, sticks or other pieces of pipe, though commonly used, are hard for cattle to see. Wave the flag in front of an animal you wish to stop. Orange or yellow flags are best. They can be seen easily by cattle and operators in all weather.