Towering over the teenager he is following in a sandy arena, Nick baulks at the deep blue plastic sheet beneath him and nudges it with a tentative hoof.
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Children and adults yarn away with a few dogs at their feet and sunshine on their backs, while Nick and his 14-year-old handler come to a standstill.
The 21-year-old American Saddlebred is unsure of what exactly is below, and young Eve Pie-Harris has never negotiated this obstacle with such a big 500-kilo animal.
Westwood Farm manager Gerry Nussio, who has previously worked in Bart Cummings stables said being a prey animal, horses had a keen sense of smell and hearing. Even if they could not see anything, they could smell danger.
A lead twisted incorrectly around a hand could end in disaster if a spooked horse charged off suddenly.
A few months ago Evie had put her arm and hand out to let Nick smell her. "If you're scared, they can smell your fear," she said, recounting their first meeting, when she patted him and learned to lead him at the farm near Kambah which helps children at risk.
"They can't see in front, only to the sides," she said. "You have to watch the direction they're turning their head."
Evie's auntie has horses, but she has little experience with them, which is all the better for learning how to build trust and confidence, according to Nick's owner, Jess Garnett who voluntarily teaches equine learning at Westwood Farm.
After an experienced handler encourages Nick over the plastic sheeting, Evie returns and leads him over a second time.
A skill featured in Nicholas Evans' The Horse Whisperer and widely used during the aftermath of the Black Saturday bushfires in Victoria in 2009, facilitated equine learning is an important part of the routine at Westwood Farm where Miss Garnett has three horses in work.
People reluctant to accept help after the tragic bushfires nevertheless regained their confidence from identifying and remedying what was wrong with horses left traumatised by the disaster which killed 119 people.
Telopea Park school teacher Peter Hobbs said the horses helped children integrate with other children and teachers. Around the horses, they did things that they'd refuse to do at school.
"It doesn't sound like any great shakes but it is a big step forward," he said.
Westwood Farm's administrator and environmental biologist Wieslaw Lichacz said, "These kids are on a knife's edge, we want to tip them on the right side."
Miss Garnett says the intense concentration from the horses can be emotionally draining.
She watches them as intently as the horses themselves watch the children's body language. If Nick's ears go back or he stops solidly he's probably earned a rest.
Nick's cheeky disposition won Miss Garnett over when she bought the big gelding from a Wollongong woman about nine years ago.
"You ask him to do anything and he looks at you as if to say 'no', like a child - then he goes and does it. It's almost like working with a child."
He'll wander over to people who stop near his paddock looking for a pat and cuddle and peer into their car window to see what else might be happening, probably hoping for a pear, or banana. He loves licorice.
Horse agistment is currently the main income for the farm which was founded by Lions clubs.
Horses have a strong affinity with girls, which Miss Garnett can't explain, even though she has been around them since aged three.
"You feel you can nurture something, perhaps it is our nurturing instinct," she said.
