I am as big of a cynic as there is when it comes to products like MOJO holographic wristbands. I never buy into any of these items because I’ve always felt that a lot of the effect is placebo — it’s hard to wrap my brain around something actually working that seems “too good to be true.”
But I have noticed numerous prominent upper-level riders in the world — such as Phillip Dutton, William Fox-Pitt, Mark Todd, Oliver Townend, Lucinda Fredericks, Tim and Jonelle Price, Jock Paget and Laine Ashker — who all use MOJO. Many Clouds, the winner of this year’s Grand National, was also wearing MOJO power patches during his 25-1 long shot victory.
I’ve walked past the MOJO booth at Rolex several times in years past. This year, though, I met Ed Rhead, one of the proprietors of the company, and he gave me a demonstration of how MOJO works. The two activating components of MOJO wristbands and patches are a healthy dose of negative ions and Mylar holograms, which are believed to block many of the negative effects associated with electromagnetic fields.
MOJO users generally report better balance, focus, pain relief, calming, enhanced endurance and increased stamina. Different people have had different effects from using MOJO. I’ve personally heard testimonials saying MOJO has helped with joint pain or energy, while others say that it made a slight difference but not a huge one. So is this the placebo effect or the real deal? We decided to test MOJO to find out.
The biggest immediate effect I noticed from using my MOJO wristband was the decrease in pain in my lower back. Sitting in the media center on plastic folding chairs for hours at Rolex was not doing wonders for my back, but once I put my MOJO wristband on, I later realized that the pain in my back had decreased noticeably.
I was eager to get home and see how the wristband affected my riding. Not long after Rolex, I had my first “real” jump lesson in probably three months (my baby horse isn’t jumping full courses at the moment, so I take lessons on a lesson horse from time to time). I felt SO in balance and in tune, and it turned out to be the best lesson I’d had in months.
My trainer even remarked, “I can tell you’ve been riding!” Truth be told, I hadn’t really, but I indeed felt like I had. Of course, fitness levels and how you feel that day (as well as your horse) are going to affect your performance in the saddle, but I can confidently say that my balance while riding has seen improvement.
I also tried out the patches that are made to put on dog collars and horse halters/bridles. I put the patch on the collar for my English Bulldog, who is super skittish from a bad situation we rescued her from. I hoped to see some relaxation effects on her, but I did not see any sort of change from her wearing the patch.
I also tried it on my horse while I was pulling his mane. He’s not super fidgety with mane pulling until you’ve been at it for awhile and are getting close to his ears. When I used the patch, he almost fell asleep in the cross ties. He’s a pretty quiet guy to begin with, but I did notice a difference in this behavior.
I do also use the patch on the crownpiece of his bridle during rides. Like I said, he’s a pretty easy going guy to begin with so I am not 100 percent sure I can attribute any positive behavior to the MOJO patch, but I do notice the effects on the ground.
To get the best results from the horse patches, testing has shown that the patches need to be on the head collar for one hour before transferring to the bridle; the longer they are on the better the effect. For dogs, allow a few days of constantly being on the collar to notice the best results.
Overall, my experience with MOJO has been really positive. It’s definitely a different concept and one that I know many may not take seriously. I know I didn’t at first. But I will say that this product was worth taking a shot on, and I’ve definitely been able to see positive effects by wearing my wristband.
You can find out more about the different options for wristbands and horse patches and how you too can get some of the same MOJO all these top riders are using by vising the MOJO website. The MOJO Advantage band is what I’ve tried, and it retails for $39.95. The velcro Horse Patches for animals retail for $60 for a set of two.