When the Chronicle selected Babylon as our 2024 Overall and Hunter Horse of the Year, we reached out to his past connections to learn more about his beginnings.
Babylon’s oldest connections aren’t surprised at all by his success in the hunter ring. Growing up he was a barn favorite with his breeders at Hof Thormählen in Northern Germany, thanks to his easy-going attitude.
“He was always pretty special because of his personality and the marks on the face, and everybody loved to ride him,” said Marie Baumgart, who rode him at his first and only European show in July of his 4-year-old year, when she was 17. “He was always nice and easy and fun to have around.
“He was always very willing to work,” she continued. “He was really fun and curious about new stuff. I rode him in his first show, and he directly won the young horse style class with a pretty high mark.”

Babylon (Crumble—Die Cera, Balou Du Rouet) was born Crumble’s Balou and was the first foal out of his dam. He has a full brother, Maui, in the junior hunters with owner Sophia Tabasso. Both Babylon and Maui found their way to the states via German horse dealer Christoph Zimmermann.
“When he saw him as a 4-year-old, he immediately realized he would be a hunter,” said Baumgart’s father, Philipp Baumgart, of Babylon.
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Philipp took over running Hof Thormählen from his uncle, Harm Thormählen, three years ago. Under Harm, the breeding farm became well known for breeding popular show jumping sire Capitol I and Fein Cera, Peter Wylde’s partner for Olympic team gold in Athens and World Championship individual bronze. Fein Cera is the great-great granddam of Babylon; she gave birth to Babylon’s great-granddam, Kleine Cera, before she started her performance career. Kleine Cera produced not only Babylon’s granddam, Zera 23, who went on to win the Hamburg Derby (Germany) with Pato Muente, but also Ornellaia, who competed in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games with John Whitaker.
Babylon’s sire, Crumble (by Carthago), only stood at stud in Northern Germany for a few years before heading to Switzerland for a performance career.

“He is by Crumble, son of Colman [by Carthago] that jumped very spectacularly as a young horse in the north of Germany,” said Philipp. “Crumble has shown to have a very good mind and character. That’s why we used him, because his mother is by [Balou Du Rouet], who has lots of fire and energy; [we] thought the Colman/Carthago blood would work well with that.”
This article originally appeared in the January 2025 issue of The Chronicle of the Horse. You can subscribe and get online access to a digital version and then enjoy a year of The Chronicle of the Horse. If you’re just following COTH online, you’re missing so much great unique content. Each print issue of the Chronicle is full of in-depth competition news, fascinating features, probing looks at issues within the sports of hunter/jumper, eventing and dressage, and stunning photography.