Wet Legs

A couple if my friends hose their horses legs off whenever they ride (they don't use sport boots or wraps either). And I'm just curious. What is the benefit of hosing a horse's legs off? Is it just to keep them clean or can it help the ligaments somehow in the legs?

Do they do it before or after they ride? And do they do it all of the time or just during the warmer months? I rinse my horses' legs off in the spring/summer after we ride just because its hot and it helps cool them down a bit. But that's the only reason I can really think of.....

They do it after they ride. And its normally on sunnier days.

I guess it's maybe to hydrate them a bit? Keep them cooler? I only do it in the summer on those hot days, after a ride.

I do it after I ride in the warmer months, especially after a strenuous session. It helps cool and soothe the legs down.

I would probably say they do it to cool down and soothe. If they're doing it after a ride on warm days. That's what I do. I would bet that's why.

Just their legs?

It might be a way of protecting the legs from inflammation after strenous activity. Do these horses do a lot of jumping/cross country or intense training? Sometimes legs will become inflammed afterwards if something isn't applied. The water would definitely help keep away any swelling after a hard ride. That's why you'll see some riders using poultices after jumping.