when a horse has been ridden all day at a fast pace, and then put in the stable without being watered and groomed, they are considered rode hard and put away wet. When this is said about a woman, it usually means they look a lot older than they are, and look like bar hags or crack ho's. It also means they look a lot better from far away, or that if they took off the make-up you wouldn't want to be seen with them.