Hello! My name is Joanne Verdelli Shaw and a long time ago I began dreaming of having a small farm and my horses in my backyard. After many years of pursuing that dream, along came Not So Shady Acres. There has been a tremendous amount of labor (lots of projects in the rain too!) and ingenuity in building our farm where our horses can live and enjoy along with us.
My equestrian interests are trail riding and dressage. I have had the opportunity to train with various wonderful people in different disciplines. Richard Ellis had the most impact on my development as a rider. His teachings I will always cherish. I spent most of my time these days teaching and supporting my son, Devon’s, goals.
My husband Mike Shaw, is a 35 year veteran in the Army National Guard. He has done several tours of duty and continues to serve our country. Mike has been my biggest support in making this dream come true, love you Mike!
It is our past horses that make us the riders we are today...
I owe much of my riding ability to the horses of my past…as many riders out there I am sure would agree make us truly the horsemen we are today. No matter how much we think we know there is always a horse out there to prove us wrong! And, we never stop learning!! From my first horse who was fond of spooking/buck/rear at just about anything on any given day who taught me how to “stick” to the saddle… to the ever challenging yet super quiet confidence builder, Molly who was with me for many miles of trail riding and dressage work…to Richard’s schoolmaster who taught me how to ride upper level movements that would help me to rehab Molly back from a surgery for her bone chips…to Pirate the magnificent pinto warmblood born with one eye with no trust in people who I trained for dressage and taught how to trail ride, leg yield, flying changes and is now being shown dressage by his young owner. There are many others that have touched my heart and helped me through good and bad times in my life and I am truly thankful for our little herd we have today who will hopefully bless more lives than just our families.
My husband Mike, is our Mr. Fix it/Rig it/Make it happen! He is an awesome partner in marriage and our farm. I love that the outcome of our ideas and ingenuity are always something to be proud of. Devon is my son, the light of my life and protector. He is growing into a brilliant young man and enjoys his time in the saddle much more than with the pick in his hand! He has been riding since he was 6 years old. Devon enjoys trail riding, some jumping and is beginning to appreciate what dressage has to offer. He also rides and trains in Western Dressage. He is the most attentive rider I know and I love that I am apart of his development as a horseman. Devon also loves to play violin, soccer, do hip hop and tap dance. We hope that should you decide to come visit or enjoy a lesson on one of our horses that you take away good memories to last a lifetime!