The federal prosecutor in the Horse Protection Act (HPA) violation case involving Jackie McConnell has asked the judge deciding the case to impose strict penalties on the high-profile Tennessee Walking Horse trainer. The HPA forbids soring, the deliberate injury to a horse’s feet and legs to achieve an exaggerated, high-stepping gait.

In February, a federal grand jury in Tennessee handed down a 52-count indictment accusing McConnell and three other individuals of conspiring to violate the HPA. In May, McConnell pleaded guilty to one conspiracy count under a plea agreement. Under the law, McConnell could face up to five years in prison, probation, and fines. However, McConnell’s plea agreement allows for probation, not imprisonment.

On Sept. 6, U.S. Atty. Steven Neff filed a sentencing memorandum asking the court to impose the maximum probation term of five years and a "significant fine" on McConnell. The memorandum also seeks that McConnell be barred from having any contact with horses including training, exhibiting, transporting, or selling, during the entire probation period.

"The recommendation for probation rather than imprisonment does not mean that the United States supports a sentence inadequate to address the seriousness of the crimes with which the defendant was charged or the acts which support the factual basis to which he agreed," Neff’s memorandum read. "The United States’ position is that a significant sentence to the extent permitted by law, within the confines of the defendant’s guilty plea, is both warranted and appropriate given the defendant’s long-term defiance of federal law