Freeman said in addition to its traditional uses in regards to recovery from exercise, cooling down is also a critical component of more modern techniques such as interval training.
Interval training entails successive bouts of work that are at or near competitive levels.
In order to enhance performance, these bouts must be separated with relief intervals. However, problems have occurred when horses were not allowed enough relief period, or when the horse was overly stressed in subsequent bouts. That's part of the reason why most competitive events require cool-down periods. Specifically, there are several benefits in cooling down a horse. Research has shown that horses walked or trotted following exercise have faster clearance of blood lactate than horses left standing, thus increasing the rate of recovery.