What's Sands Farm like?

[Sunny_Star]

Just wondered what Sands Farm is like.
I've been told that it's small, someone I know compared it to Royal Leisure (which I have been to once but found the small ring really hard to jump in) and said all the jumps are packed together.
So is it tiny?
And what's the warm-up like?

 

[TiaPony]

http://www.sandsfarmec.co.uk/home.htm - I prefer to dressage there than show jump but is not that bad!

 

[Sunny_Star]

Yeah already looked on their website, it's hard to tell the actual size of the ring because the pics are wide angle so may be a bit decieving..

 

[Emma123]

Erm Piccys (hope Ella doesn't mind

)

Warm up:

Arena:

Isn't too bad I don't think-warm up is big enough

I have a video of the arena if u want to see that

 

[Sunny_Star]

Thanks Emma123, from those photos it looks an OK size, just wondered because my friend made it sound tiny when she described it!

 

[merlinsquest]

I didnt have a problem with the size, and merlin is a forward going type horse if you know what I mean

But boy is it cold there!!!!

 

[cavalo branco]

If you are local, it's smaller than Golden Cross main arena, warm-up is under cover and reasonable size. I like it and have competed quite a few times there over the winter. My main complaint is that cars have not been separated from lorries so the parking has been cramped sometimes. Take a good map, its quite hard to find, I think anyway.

 

[i_should_be_working]

The indoor school is about 65 x 26 as the dressage markers are only just in from the walls when you do a long arena test. Warmup school gets very busy as it is quite small and undulating! Drive has lots of pot-holes. I quite like doing dressage there (unless someone walks into the viewing gallery half way through the test and starts moving the seats around as they did last time I was there). Haven't jumped there for a while but their jumps were wood last time, which is always an advantage in my book instead of plastic things.

 

[lucemoose]

It would be great if the school was harrowed and leveled once in a while..

 

[lillie07]

It wouldnt be my first choice of venue, the surface isnt as good as some, the lighting isnt great and it really isnt that big to jump in. Warm up un aff is normally busy!

 

[Nosey]

Last few times I BSJA'd there they did a lot of 2 phase which did make it a bit more crowded indoors.

 

[Rambo]

I've only jumped there once but found it to be a happy, friendly venue. The warm-up is a very good size imo...one of the bigger indoor warm-ups i've found. The main ring isn't huge but it's big enough...i'd say the same size as Golden Cross but with better lighting. They had Jump4Joy wings when I was there which don't take up as much space as the older wooden style ones. The surface does break up a little but then where doesn't after a days jumping

Main downside would be the carpark which is a little way from the arena entrance and on the 'wrong' side of it meaning you can't see the lorries or horses from the collecting ring.

 

[Doublethyme]

If you don't like Royal, you won't like Sands, as their indoor venues are pretty similar in my opinion.