The Harley Effect

     A couple of weeks ago, I attended the Michigan Horse Expo in East Lansing, to promote and sell my memoir. I wasn't sure what to expect, having never been to such an event before.
     What I discovered was what I call the "Harley Effect"—the wide range of people, from farmers to lawyers and every profession in between, who act perfectly normal until they buy a Harley Davidson motorcycle. At that point, they become weekend bad asses who don dew rags and leather chaps with long, shiny strips that flap in the wind.
     Like Clark Kent, emerging from the phone booth transformed into Superman, once these everyday businesspeople put on their black leather jackets adorned with Harley logos to match their square-toed boots with large buckles wrapped around the ankles, they become weekend Hog riders that travel from bar to bar in large packs.
     I prefer not to dress in a way to draw attention to myself. My usual attire consists of denim jeans, a button shirt with minimal flamboyancy, no cap or jewelry, and shoes or boots that are comfortable. Prior to leaving for East Lansing, my wife and a friend who attended the trade show with me warned me that I should wear a cowboy hat, or at the very least, a vest.
     Keep in mind, Michigan has had a long-lasting and brutally cold winter, so I wore a pair of insulated tan pants instead of blue jeans and a long-sleeved undershirt for warmth. I was comfortable in my choice of clothing.
     But when thousands of people began showing up dressed like good ole" Western cowboys and cowgirls, scuffing their freshly shined boots in the dirt—I soon felt out of place. Underdressed for the occasion.
     I was afraid I wouldn't have anything in common with them, but  they turned out to be some of the nicest people I have ever met. Many stopped by the booth just to say hi. Many laughed at the title of my book, Broken Rib Ranch. Some shared their own stories about when they'd broken a rib (or two).
     Overall, I had a great time, and have decided to attend the 19th Annual Equine Affaire in Columbus, Ohio, which is coming up in April. As a reminder, I have already written myself a note: "Need to buy a cowboy hat, get my boots shined, and find a leather vest."
     Hope to see y'all there!
     Tim Parsel   

Review of "Broken Rib Ranch, a memoir" by Timothy Parsel

When Timothy Parsel was in grade school, his English teacher tried to convince him to pursue a career in writing. And it's easy to see why, Parsel—whose day job is that of a professional truck driver—has a clear, confident writing style that is by turns humorous and sincere. He also never fails to entertain.


Broken Rib Ranch is a touching and informative memoir of his life married to a woman whose obsessive love of horses causes the couple's lives to increasingly revolve around the care and keeping of an ever growing herd on their eighty acre spread near the rural Michigan town of Charlevoix.


Experienced horse people and horse novice alike will recognize and revel in the many ups and downs of horse ownership and the trials of maintaining a large farm in a harsh climate. Who knew horses had personalities as varied and intricate as our own? Probably all "horse people," but it will be news to many others.


In many ways, however, Parsel's story is as much about his marriage as it is about raising horses. He details their courtship, which began at a local car dealership where he and his future wife were employed in their younger years. Parsel is a one-woman man, and it is always clear that, despite the good-natured ribbing his wife receives in the story's telling, he is devoted to her above all else, even when her herd of horses reaches unmanageable proportions. Another man might have called a divorce attorney as the amount of work involved in keeping seventeen horses gets out of hand, pushing him to the edge, but not Parsel. He is in for the long-haul, and it is enlightening to watch the dynamics of the couple's marriage in gear as they slowly bring the headcount down.


In the end, Broken Rib Ranch is an engaging portrait of two people in love. Stretched to the limits of their capabilities by the realities and day-to-day drudgery of raising horses, the couple's resilient bond is a testament to their powerful love, for each other and for their horses.



Review by John Casey
Published Freelance Writer, New York

The Stray

A stray cat keeps showing up at our farm. He's black and as wild as a panther—at least around me. With my wife, Diana, he's as sweet as a kitten. He poses for pictures for her.

One day, our dog Char chased it up a tree. Soft-hearted me, I felt bad for the cat and decided to rescue it. When it saw me approaching the tree with a ladder, it quickly and determinedly got down on its own.

The closest I've ever been able to get to the stray, was the day he got a paw stuck in the tines of a rake. I slowly walked near him, knelt down, and reached out to help—until he bit me. Diana watched sympathetically as I cleaned my wound; then she asked if I thought her precious kitty was hurt. So much for sympathy!

Needless to say, I now keep my distance.

There's Pain, Laughter and Romance in "Broken Rib Ranch"

                                   Back and forth across the path,
                                   Pounding hoof beats aftermath,
                                Left for dead, face down in the dirt,
                          Tim struggles to stand, but everything hurts,
                                  Laid up for weeks, his ribs so sore,
                               On the bright side, he got out of chores.

A Quest to End Pain and Suffering Causes Additional Abuse of Unwanted Horses.

For the horse's sake, U.S.-based horse slaughter plants should be allowed to re-open. If there is a need for horsemeat to be processed for human consumption, and there is (approximately 150,000 domestic horses are exported abroad for slaughter each year), then it should be done within our own borders where there are laws to regulate the business and to protect the horses. As harsh as that may sound, it's better than the alternative: Horses being stuck inside cramped trailers for periods as long as thirty-six hours, without food or water, while they are hauled across the country to Canada, or to Mexico, where they are met with a horrific death.

There are just too many horses to be absorbed into the mainstream of the horse world without some sort of checks and balances. Large breeders want only the cream of the crop, no matter how many foals have to be born. The rest are cast off and sold at slaughter. Greed fuels the industry, with little consideration given to the animal's well-being. And, while rescues have achieved commendable success at providing care for a large quantity of horses, the numbers saved at these facilities is small in comparison to the influx of unwanted horses. Despite strong opposition to the contrary, slaughter is a necessary check, therefore, regulated transport and rendering should be the balance.

A Book For Horse Lovers and Anyone Who Has Said "I Do."

Growing up, Timothy Parsel lived only a stone's throw away from Lake Charlevoix, where he spent his summers casting a fishing rod and riding the Ironton Ferry. Horses were never in the picture—until one day in 1979, when he was smitten by a blue-eyed blonde and decided to accompany her on a trail ride to win her affection. From that point forward, his life would never be the same. (Nor his backside.) In Broken Rib Ranch, Parsel reveals his fun-loving nature by spinning harrowing situations into comical tales about a wife who does everything in her power to possess as many horses as she can, while he struggles to hold his own against a species with a mind of its own. Parsel uses his grasp of the saddle to put you in the thick of things; so, tag along for the ride of a lifetime. Even the shortest jaunt is a train wreck waiting to happen.

Description for Broken Rib Ranch

How does an ordinary guy who enjoys the conveniences of in-town living and the solitude of fishing on quiet Northern Michigan lakes, find himself building miles of fencing and improvising creative ways to haul water to dozens of horses in the midst of a blizzard—only to keep his wife happy? Timothy Parsel expected to live an ordinary existence of driving truck long-haul and coming home to Diana, his beautiful blue-eyed bride ... instead, his life quickly transcended into an escalating chain of undesirable events that revolved around Diana's lifelong dream of horse ownership. Readers are crying and laughing with Parsel as he trades in his fishing pole for a pitchfork and posthole digger. Discover how Broken Rib Ranch broke several horses—but not the author.