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Basis of Presentation
 3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2013
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]  
Basis of Presentation
Basis of Presentation

Nature of Business. SandRidge is an independent oil and natural gas company concentrating on development and production activities in the Mid-Continent and Gulf of Mexico. The Company’s primary area of focus is the Mississippian formation in the Mid-Continent area of northern Oklahoma and Kansas. The Company owns and operates additional interests in the Mid-Continent, Gulf Coast, Permian Basin and West Texas Overthrust. The Company also operates businesses and infrastructure systems that are complementary to its primary development and production activities, including gas gathering and processing facilities, an oil and natural gas marketing business, a saltwater disposal system, an electrical transmission system and an oil field services business, which includes a drilling rig business.

Principles of Consolidation. The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its wholly owned or majority owned subsidiaries and variable interest entities (“VIEs”) for which the Company is the primary beneficiary. All significant intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

Interim Financial Statements. The accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements as of December 31, 2012 have been derived from the audited financial statements contained in the Company’s 2012 Form 10-K. The unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared by the Company in accordance with the accounting policies stated in the audited consolidated financial statements contained in the 2012 Form 10-K. Certain information and disclosures normally included in financial statements prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) have been condensed or omitted, although the Company believes that the disclosures contained herein are adequate to make the information presented not misleading. In the opinion of management, all adjustments, which consist only of normal recurring adjustments, necessary to state fairly the information in the Company’s unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been included. These unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the financial statements and notes thereto included in the 2012 Form 10-K.

Significant Accounting Policies. For a description of the Company’s significant accounting policies, refer to Note 1 of the consolidated financial statements included in the 2012 Form 10-K.

Reclassifications. Certain reclassifications have been made to the prior period financial statements to conform to the current period presentation. These reclassifications have no effect on the Company’s previously reported results of operations.

Use of Estimates. The preparation of these unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period.

The more significant areas requiring the use of assumptions, judgments and estimates include: oil and natural gas reserves; cash flow estimates used in impairment tests of long-lived assets; depreciation, depletion and amortization; asset retirement obligations; assignment of fair value and allocation of purchase price in connection with business combinations; income taxes; valuation of derivative instruments; contingencies; and accrued revenue and related receivables. Although management believes these estimates are reasonable, actual results could differ significantly.

Risks and Uncertainties. The Company’s revenue, profitability and future growth are substantially dependent upon the prevailing and future prices for oil and natural gas, each of which depends on numerous factors beyond the Company’s control such as overall oil and natural gas production and inventories in relevant markets, economic conditions, the global political environment, regulatory developments and competition from other energy sources. Oil and natural gas prices historically have been volatile, and may be subject to significant fluctuations in the future. The Company enters into derivative arrangements in order to mitigate a portion of the effect of this price volatility on the Company’s cash flows. See Note 9 for the Company’s open oil and natural gas commodity derivative contracts.

    
Production targets contained in certain gathering and treating agreements require the Company to incur capital expenditures or make associated shortfall payments. Additionally, the Company has a drilling obligation to each of SandRidge Mississippian Trust I (the “Mississippian Trust I”), SandRidge Permian Trust (the “Permian Trust”) and SandRidge Mississippian Trust II (the “Mississippian Trust II”). See Note 3 for discussion of these drilling obligations. The Company depends on cash flows from operating activities, funding commitments from third parties for drilling carries and, as necessary, the availability of borrowings under its senior secured revolving credit facility (the “senior credit facility”) to fund its capital expenditures. Additionally, the Company may use proceeds from the issuance of equity and debt securities in the capital markets and from the sale or other monetization of assets to fund its capital expenditures. Based on current cash balances, cash flows from operating activities and funding commitments from third parties for drilling carries, the Company expects to be able to fund its planned capital expenditures budget, debt service requirements and working capital needs for the remainder of 2013. However, a substantial or extended decline in oil or natural gas prices could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s financial position, results of operations, cash flows and quantities of oil and natural gas reserves that may be economically produced, which could adversely impact the Company’s ability to comply with the financial covenants under its senior credit facility. See Note 8 for discussion of the financial covenants in the senior credit facility.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements. In December 2011, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update 2011-11, “Disclosures about Offsetting Assets and Liabilities” (“ASU 2011-11”), and in January 2013 issued Accounting Standards Update 2013-01, “Clarifying the Scope of Disclosures about Offsetting Assets and Liabilities” (“ASU 2013-01”). These updates require disclosures about the nature of an entity’s rights of offset and related arrangements associated with its recognized derivatives contracts. The new disclosure requirements, which are effective for interim and annual periods beginning on or after January 1, 2013, were implemented by the Company on January 1, 2013. The implementation of ASU 2011-11 and ASU 2013-01 had no impact on the Company’s financial position or results of operations. See Note 9 for the Company’s derivative disclosures.