The Schleich figures are modelled with attention to detail, hand-painted with care, and provide educationally valuable playtime. Holsteiners are very popular sport horses and are one of the oldest German breeds. The monks at Uetersen Monastery, located in what is now Schleswig-Holstein in northern Germany, started breeding them in the 14th century. However, the first recorded mentions of Holsteiners are much older, dating back to the year 1225.