A Cleveland County couple is accused of leaving their horses in the middle of a field with no food.

Three weeks ago, someone mowing grass around a gas line in Grover noticed the horses and called Animal Control.

Animal Control discovered the horse owners lived in Rutherfordton.

“The owners just left them there for several months,” said Animal Control Supervisor Tripp Bowling.

Bowling said the owners, Kevin and Suzan Senter, said the horses had 30 acres of greenery. But Bowling said there was only two acres of grass.

“The rest of it consists of a lot of weeds and briars,” he said.

Two horses survived, but one died two days after Animal Control seized the animals.

“It was just too late,” Bowling said. “He was too far gone.”

Carl and Janice Robbins live across the street from the field where the horses were found. They believed someone was caring for the horses.

“This far a distance, you couldn't tell if they were underweight,” Janice Robbins said.

On Tuesday, the Senters were charged with felony killing by starvation, cruelty to animals and abandonment of animals.

Bowling hopes to move the horses to a shelter better suited for them and that a judge will make the Senters pick up the bill for that shelter space.  He is also hoping that a judge will ban them from owning horses.