Julia Vassar joins Bascule as Claims Adjuster.

Julia Vassar has joined Bascule as Claims Adjuster. She brings 16 years as a licensed adjuster, including roles at Catlin Insurance, Great American Insurance and HDI Global, and a connection to horses that goes back to her first job mucking stalls in a ranch horse barn.

Julia specializes in equine claims. For agents and their clients, the difference she wants to make is straightforward: claims handled clearly, concisely and with empathy.

“Julia is a well-respected figure in the equine claims market, and many of our agents and insureds will already have worked with her. We feel lucky to have someone so highly regarded join the team, and she will help us keep driving the best outcomes for our customers and our capacity partners.”

Sarah Moore · Bascule

From the barn to the claims desk

Julia started working with ranch horses as a teenager and went on to groom racing Thoroughbreds at Remington Park while she was in college. In 1995 she followed the Thoroughbreds to Lexington, Kentucky, working a range of equine jobs before becoming a surgeon secretary at Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital.

After eight years at Rood & Riddle, she was approached by an independent equine adjusting firm about a career change. Julia earned her adjuster's license in 2010 while working as an independent adjuster, and has since handled claims at Catlin Insurance, Great American Insurance and HDI Global. Sixteen years on, she still enjoys the work.

That background means she knows the veterinary side of a claim from the inside, as well as the paperwork that follows it.

A horsewoman first

Over the years Julia has worked with working Quarter Horses and Paints, Saddlebreds, Arabians, Thoroughbreds, Standardbreds and Warmbloods. Her first Thoroughbred followed her off the track, and the two were together for 25 years. Along the way she also owned two Paint Horses, a Quarter Horse and a pony mule, and later a warmblood cross.

Today she has her second Thoroughbred, Gung Ho, known as Gizmo, a 2009 gelding. Gizmo was a successful racehorse, with 74 starts and nearly $350,000 in earnings by the time he retired at nine. He came to Julia to begin a second career in Competitive Trail and Eventing, the disciplines she has competed in herself.

What agents can expect

Julia's focus in her first six months is bringing agents to Bascule and supporting the business as it grows. Having owned, cared for and lost horses of her own, she understands what a claim means to the person making it, and she handles each one with that in mind.

“Joining Bascule to work alongside Dianne Meisner and her team was a key reason for making this move. I'm excited to help attract agents to the business and support its ongoing growth. My goal is to deliver claims handling that is clear, concise and empathetic, while contributing positively as a team player.”

Julia Vassar · Claims Adjuster, Bascule

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