A Montana man accused of maltreating a herd of horses has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him.

The herd of 450 horses was residing on 9,400 acres of deeded land and 30,000 acres of leased Crow Tribal land southeast of Billings, Mont., with scant forage and no water source.

On Dec. 30, veterinarian Jeff Peila, DVM evaluated the horses at the request of the Yellowstone County Sheriff's Department. At that time, the horses' condition was beginning to deteriorate, Peila said. Three weeks later the animals' condition continued to decline, Peila said.

The horses' owner James H. Leachman was later charged with 10 counts of negligently failing to provide veterinary care, food or water to helpless animals. Yellowstone County Attorney Scott Twito said the charges are connected to animals either discovered dead on the property or euthanized by law enforcement authorities. Each count carries maximum penalties of one year in jail and $1,000 in fines Twito said