What Does “A Rag of Colts” Mean?
“Rag” is one of several old, lesser-known collective nouns applied to young horses, and colts in particular, though a clear, verifiable origin for the word in this context is hard to pin down. It shows up alongside similarly obscure terms like “rake” in older lists of horse-related group nouns, likely surviving more as regional or dialectal usage than as a term that ever saw wide, everyday adoption.
Colts, young male horses not yet fully mature, are naturally social and are often found in loose bachelor groups once weaned from their mothers, particularly in herd settings where mature stallions keep young males at a distance. Whatever “rag” originally referred to, it’s stuck around as a curiosity in horse-related collective noun lists.
Example: “A rag of colts kicked up dust as they raced each other along the fence line.”
Related: Collective Nouns for Mammals