Kösen horse

Without the horse, humans might not have come this far - literally. Fossil finds suggest that humans began to domesticate the horse around 5,000 years ago and that the ancestors of our modern domestic horses were bred in the steppes of western Eurasia around 4,500 years ago. With domestication, humans developed the horse as a workhorse and ultimately as a mount on which greater distances could be covered in less time: Around 4,200 years ago, members of the Eastern European Yamnaya culture probably swung themselves onto the backs of their horses for the first time in order to conquer the vastness of the world from here.

Today, the horse is regarded as one of man's most loyal companions - and the Kösen horse fulfills this role with the characteristic softness of the Kösen woven plush. It is stuffed so tightly right down to its fetlocks that it not only pricks up its ears, but also proves its enduring steadfastness and is able to win the hearts of horse lovers young and old with its graceful, lifelike design.

Genuine stuffed animals made in Bad Kösen are collector’s items, but what they are actually made for is life in a nursery. Up to 100 parts are necessary to make a Kösen animal with securely fastened safety eyes and stuffing of non-flammable silicone hollow fibre (in case of the teddy bears and the larger specimen, they also add some plastic granulate for anatomic accuracy). Unlike many other manufacturers, who mostly use materials made in Asia, they stick to plush that comes from weaving mills in Germany, Belgium and France. It has a firmer quality and can thus be sewn more tightly – ultimately the reason for the animals’ durability. Besides, this plush fabric is resistant to hair loss. The Kösen animals are among the finest you can find, not only in craft but also in design. For every model, thorough studies of anatomy and movement are conducted in the animals’ natural environment or at the zoo; blueprints and clay models follow. Thanks to the co-operation with the neighbouring Burg Giebichenstein, a well-known training centre for product design in Germany since the beginning of the 20th century, the Kösen stuffed animals have won several design prizes.