A South Dakota man has been sentenced to spend the next three consecutive Fourth of July holidays behind bars after pleading guilty to charges connected to the theft and injury of a champion barrel horse last year.

Owner Wendy Halweg and her horse Dually were competing at the Fort Pierre Rodeo, and the horse was taken from the Stanley County fairgrounds on July 5, 2009. Sheriff's deputies later found the horse injured and confined in a corral in another Fort Pierre location.

The horse suffered rope burns severe enough to expose tendons in its legs. The injuries ended the animal's competitive career.

Flint Dahl was later charged with felony grand theft and misdemeanor inhumane treatment of an animal in connection with the incident. Prosecutors dropped the theft charges after Dahl agreed to plead guilty to the misdemeanor charges