What Does “A Rake of Mules” Mean?
“Rake” is one of the older, more obscure collective nouns for mules, tracing back to a broader tradition of English terms of venery, many of which described working and pack animals used on farms and in transport. Mules, a cross between a female horse and a male donkey, have long been valued for exactly the kind of steady, sure-footed labor a word like “rake” evokes: gathering, pulling, and hauling.
That reputation for hard work is well earned. Mules are famously strong for their size, sure-footed on difficult terrain, and often praised as more resilient and lower-maintenance than horses for demanding labor, traits that made them a mainstay of agriculture, mining, and military transport for centuries. A group of mules working a field or trail together fits the practical, hardworking spirit “rake” suggests.
Example: “A rake of mules hauled supplies up the mountain trail all afternoon without complaint.”
Related: Collective Nouns for Mammals · What Is a Group of Mules Called?