Date set for trainer's cruelty trial

Glenn Hild, a trainer based in Arkansas, pleaded not guilty to 17 counts of animal cruelty in a Hot Springs, Ark., district court on Tuesday. A trial date was set for Feb. 3 in Hot Springs.

Animal cruelty is a misdemeanor, and it carries a penalty of up to one year in jail, and/or a fine.

Hild, 68, was arrested and released on $1,000 bond last month after animal welfare officials seized 17 of his horses, alleged to be malnourished, from a farm in Arkansas. The Humane Society of Garland County in Arkansas sought a warrant for his arrest.

Hild has disputed the allegations and said his horses are fed daily.