Edward Donald James, a respected businessman in and beyond the equestrian and horse racing worlds, passed away in Aurora, Ontario, on October 29, 2023 at the age of 92.

James was a prominent Standardbred owner who owned race horses for over 65 years, including the very successful US and Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame inductee McWicked, which raced under his SSG Stables and became the richest pacing stallion in the history of the sport with $5.1 million in career earnings.

Ed James and McWicked.

Ed James and McWicked. (Dave Landry photo / CHRHOF)

James was also the national sales manager and president of two multi-national companies over his career. He founded Fargo Trading/SSG Gloves in the late 1980s, creating riding gloves designed for all disciplines from hunter/jumper and dressage to polo and driving. His support of Canadian riders and drivers as a sponsor, outfitting riders of various ages, skill levels, and disciplines with high-quality SSG riding gloves, was tremendous and greatly appreciated; SSG even created a special Canadian Equestrian Team glove. As a result of this support, SSG Gloves was named EC Sponsor of the Year in 2009, and Jump Canada Sponsor of the Year in 2017.

Advertisement