What Does “A Rake of Colts” Mean?
“Rake” appears across several old English collective noun lists for young or loosely organized horse groups, including colts and mules, and its precise origin is uncertain. One plausible root ties it to the Middle English sense of “rake” meaning to wander or roam, an image that fits young colts reasonably well, given their tendency to play in loose, shifting groups rather than staying tightly bunched.
Unlike more behaviorally descriptive collective nouns, “rake” reads as a fairly generic, catch-all term, one of several old words used somewhat interchangeably for small groups of young horses before more specific, standardized terminology took hold. It survives today mostly in historical word lists and dedicated collective noun references rather than everyday use.
Example: “A rake of colts wandered the paddock, more interested in play than in staying together.”
Other Collective Nouns for Colts
Colts go by more than one name. You might also hear:
Related: Collective Nouns for Mammals