Real-Life James Bond Marches in Goshen, New York Parade

A celebrity marched in this year's Goshen, New York parade. Did you see him?

On Sunday, Hudson Valley spectators came out in droves to watch the annual St. Patrick's Day Parade on Main Street in Goshen. Among the bagpipers, step dancers and floats was a celebrity with an incredible story of survival.

James Bond Marches in Goshen, NY Parade

The VIP in this year's Goshen St. Patrick's Day parade was impossible to miss. But although many people saw him, most of them probably had no idea he was such a big celebrity.

James Bond proudly strutted his stuff alongside marchers from the New York State Police as he made his way along the parade route. While this Bond is no secret agent, he has lived a life worthy of its own movie franchise.

The James Bond that participated in the Goshen parade isn't Agent 007, he's a ten-year-old Percheron gelding that was rescued by a New York State Trooper and trained to become a police horse.

According to The Equus Foundation, Mary Elena Moran is a mounted police officer who also helps save horses that have been abandoned or sold for slaughter. Through the advocacy group Superhero Rescue Horses, Moran helped rescue James Bond who was lame and suffering from Lyme disease. Bond was purchased by an owner who was planning to send him to be destroyed, but the group stepped in to give him a new life.

James Bond was rehabilitated and retrained to become a working police horse. As paradegoers saw on Sunday, this magnificent horse is now thriving and living his best life as a valued member of the New York State Police.

Moran has proudly shown off James Bond at various events throughout New York, including this weekend's parade. In January, the New York State Trooper received the EQUUS Foundation Humanitarian Award for her devotion to improving the quality of life for horses.