Suffolk Animal Control officers have charged a Suffolk woman with animal cruelty after seizing two horses she was keeping at a pasture on Manning Road.

Tammy Lynn Smith, 42, was charged with one count of animal cruelty.

The case began in July, when Animal Control officers performed a welfare check on the two horses at the Manning Road facility. One of the horses, a chestnut mare, appeared to be undernourished, said city spokeswoman Debbie George.

Animal Control officers required Smith to contact a veterinarian to look at the horse. The doctor determined the mare has a disease that causes it to burn calories more quickly than usual, meaning it requires medications and more food to gain weight, George said.

When officers checked on the horses again earlier this month, that horse had lost a significant amount of weight, George said. The state veterinarian was called in, who referred the case to a local vet. That doctor determined the mare was extremely thin.

The horses also had no food or shelter, George said, and the area was muddy and littered with debris.

Both horses were seized and are in foster care.