Salvador (Sonny) Pistilli
I would like to give tribute to my teacher/mentor Salvador (Sonny) Pistilli of Far Hill Forge. He is 83 years young, strong, wise and encouraging. I first heard of Sonny when I became interested in being a farrier. I asked a local farrier if he could tell me what to do to be a farrier. He said, “If I wanted to learn to do it the the correct way, search out Sonny Pistilli if he still around.” So, I did and I found him in Hellertown, Pa. I am so appreciative and thankful for Sonny taking a complete newbie to horses and giving me a chance to learn the proper way of trimming and shoeing horses. The way Sonny teaches is unlike any other. I had no experience in shoeing, forging, trimming, even holding a horse’s foot. There was times I questioned being a farrier. Was it worth? The physical stress on my body. Can I do this? As I tried time after time to shape a nice shoe, I made something else completely. Sonny Pistilli’s voice will always be in my head 40 years from now with his ways of shoeing and working on horses. He was strict, but understanding knowing the little I knew. He was patient showing me to shape the same shoe over and over again, giving me different at-home workouts to strengthen my core, legs and back, and encouraging words to keep pushing and trying. “Rome wasn’t built overnight.” He says this business is about learning. Just when you think you have it figured out, something new happens or new methods become available that clients want you to try. With the help of Sonny and his past students, I became a certified journeyman. I never felt like a student at Far Hills because Sonny treats everyone like family. Since then, I have worked with many other farriers but no one comes close to Sonny's technique or drive for helping horses. At 83 years of age, Sonny is still getting under horses and doing what needs to be done. I just hope to be half the farrier Sonny Pistilli is in my career.
— Cesar Aponte (Lake Harmony, Pa.)