A suburb in Cincinnati, Ohio, is violating federal fair housing law by refusing to let a disabled girl keep a small horse as a service animal, says the child’s mother in a lawsuit she has filed on behalf of her daughter.

Ingrid Anderson and the group Housing Opportunities Made Equal, or HOME, filed the lawsuit recently against the city of Blue Ash.

A treatment center where the child obtained medical services recommended the miniature horse for Anderson’s daughter, who has disabling physical ailments, as reported in The Cincinnati Enquirer.

The girl uses the horse — named Ellie, about the size of a large dog — for physical support to walk around in her yard and to help her pull herself up after falls.

Blue Ash officials apparently characterized the horse as “livestock” and said it had to be removed from the home. The lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Cincinnati was a last resort after negotiations failed.

The lawsuit was filed in an effort to prevent the city from enforcing the ordinance against Anderson’s family and other disabled people in like situations. It also seeks punitive and compensatory damages. A jury will decide the outcome.