Monday, with our Virtuous Cowgirls, they commented on how the horses are shedding and asked if that was to make room for their winter coat. I told them it was and then asked them how horses know it is time to start shedding. I got a few puzzled looks and a few guesses.
The correct answer is the length of daylight. Since we are past the Summer Solstice (June 20) the days are getting shorter, therefore the horses are shedding their summer coats in preparation for the winter coats. You should see the pony, she already looks like a fuzzy bear!
Day Four of Creation
That got me thinking about the fourth day of creation. The account can be read in Genesis 1:14-19. God placed the sun, moon, and stars in the sky to "separate the day from the night. Let them be signs to mark the seasons, days, and years." (NLT). This is how horses know when it's time to shed.
Of course in our "wisdom" we can manipulate this with lights. If you want your horse to not shed out for a winter coat or to shed it out early you can keep them in the barn with a bright light on them starting at 6:00 AM until 10:00 PM. With this, it takes great responsibility to make sure the horse is properly cared for with blankets and a tight barn to keep them warm. But it sure is nice for wanting to show on the winter circuit or to start showing in early spring.
Obedience
Once again we come back to how obedient the horse is to it's Creator, unlike us. They do not have that desire to go outside of how they were created. Sure they disobey us, but it is only in response to our behavior. I have preached for many years that 99% of the time when a horse makes a mistake it is because of rider error.
"The heart, above all else, is deceitful" Jeremiah 17:9. We cannot trust our heart, our thoughts, our emotions, or our will, it will lead us to destruction (Proverbs 21:2). But we can trust in the Lord, our Creator, who knows us intimately (1 Chronicles 28:9, Psalm 26:2 & 44:21), He cares for us deeply and wants what is best for us (Jeremiah 29:11, Psalm 139:16-17, Matthew 10:29-31, Romans 8:28-29, Ephesians 2:10, 1 Timothy 2:3-4).
Take His rebuke and His correction, for it is for our benefit. He does this because He loves us (Hebrews 12:6). Be willing to submit to His perfect authority; after all, He created each and every one of us and know us better than we can know ourselves. He holds the future, trust in his Omnipotence.