If you follow me on social media, you will have seen that I have been hinting at telling the story behind the ‘bee yourself’ Baselayer.
The reason I haven’t is because the story is very personal to me and I wanted to make sure that I did it right.
Between the ages of 13 and 18, I suffered with eating disorders and some very unhealthy ‘coping’ strategies. Everyday I would draw a bee on my wrist as a reminder to bee myself, bee positive and bee happy. Looking back, I cringe, but it didn’t matter at the time because it helped, and if it helps, it doesn’t matter what other people think.
3 days after my 18th birthday, I bought my first horse, Sky, she was a very complicated ex-racehorse, who was all the reasons to not buy an ex-racehorse, but I loved her, she was my hearthorse and always will be. A couple of months after I got her, my riding instructor, who was a bit fierce, told me ‘You need to put some weight on, she doesn’t know you’re there’. And just like that, 5 years of struggling with food and controlling it come to an end. I can’t say this isn’t still the first thing that comes to mind when I’m stressed, but I haven’t acted on it since that day.
Rupert and Sky, my two horses were the reason for recovery, I needed to be strong for them, especially Sky. They were the inspiration behind my business, and the reason for a healthy future.
And so, we come back to the bees… every time I see them, I am reminded of my teenage self and the years I struggled. So, rather than looking back and feeling sorry for myself, I look back and see a story to be proud of, that I did struggle, but I did recover, and so we have the ‘bee yourself’ Baselayer.
The ‘bee yourself’ Baselayer is exactly what it sounds to everyone, a reminder to be yourself, however that may look. A reminder to be healthy, not just for yourself, but for your horses. But for me, a reminder of a journey that got us to where we are now.