While we do not specifically recommend feeds, Purina's Strategy, among others, can be safely utilized for horses in nearly all life stages and is formulated with consideration toward protein quality. As a general rule, equine nutritionists do not typically get concerned about sugar and starch content when feeding young, growing horses; this is more of a concern when dealing with horses with metabolic syndrome or other metabolic disorders. Strategy is not considered to be a high sugar/starch diet, regardless. Young, growing horses most often require a concentrate feedstuff in addition to good-quality hay. A fat supplement alone is generally not suitable and would generally result in a diet deficient in essential amino acids such as lysine. In regard to your question about dietary changes in the summer months, often grass is utilized to replace hay in the diet. Because the grass may provide more calories than hay (particularly if the horse is given free choice access to the grass), owners may also need to reduce the amount of concentrate provided to maintain appropriate body condition.

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