Then there is your answer. It might be a bit uncomfortable but I would do as you please and not let the trainer bully you into leaving. They have no right.
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This sounds like spill-over from the HJ world, where trainers are very proprietary about warm up rings. At some shows, it is their right as they paid for it (iirc, ticket rides). At other shows, they often school their students in the ring the night before the class and yes, there is a certain unspoken conduct among riders in that discipline that you do not use the ring while their student is.
I would complain to Show Management, and I would kill the Arena Hog with kindness. “Oh, thank you but I’m here to school as well. Good luck tomorrow!” Flash them a smile and start to work your horse. If they push, that’s when you can pull out the stops and explain to them if they continue to harass you that you are going to go to show management.
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Chiming in from h/j world – I show on the West Coast and experience both “ticketed” schooling and unstructured schooling allowed the day before the show begins. I have never ever seen a single trainer have use of the ring to the exclusion of others. Usually there are five or more people schooling over the fences – some are trainers and others are receiving instruction from their trainers. Maybe I didn’t get the memo about the certain unspoken conduct, but then neither did any of the others…
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Not here (east coast). I have set up tables/chairs at venues and seen people get chastised for entering a ring during non-ticketed schoolings when a “big name” is in the ring. There is a sense of proprietary ownership over schooling ring time here at several venues.
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Glad I’m out here! I’ve shown at most of the main venues in CA but never on the East Coast. I confess, I’m so used to the free-for-all that I resent it when my only option is to pay for ticketed rounds.
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It has been a bunch of years since I went to a rated hunter show to participate. My experience matched what @lintesia posted.
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If you know that for a fact then why would you leave? You have as much right to be there as the trainer and should carry on with your schooling, with the same etiquette and not getting in the way of others as in a warmup ring.
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Because most people do not deal with confrontation by telling them no.
I can totally picture what my brain would do. Did I read the information incorrectly? Maybe I am not allowed to use the ring? Does this person have a right to use the ring alone? They are telling me to leave, they must know what they are talking about.
Later on I would then rationally know that I did not have to leave. But at the time, it does make sense that someone would walk away.
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Because I upset her so much she called her other rider who was waiting for the next lesson and had them get in the same ring and then she stood in front of the opening at A, blocking it.
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Lol what!? Is this person a (chronological) adult?
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At the shows I go to here in Fla, there is little oversight of the rings on day before the show (including at WEC) Have never seen what OP explained, but in a way, not surprised…But blocking A??? I would for sure, 1: get the number of one of said trainer’s horses if you dont know who the trainer is and then 2. March myself to the show office and have them solve the problem. Completely unacceptable.
edited to add: If I were in a particularly catty, immature mood, I might mention loudly to others what trainer X was doing, lol.
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Or you could just jump over the rail, or have someone move another rail for you…
Altho on second thought it’s probably a bad idea to teach the horse that it’s ok to jump the boards 
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I just had a funny vision of taking a cutting horse to a dressage show and having a face-off with a trainer blocking A. 
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Holy crap. Who does that at a show?
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I don’t advocate jumping in or out as a regular occurrence, but I would probably just jump in (or step in from the walk even). I would let this trainer go to management if they have a problem. I would not be run off to go to management about this.
I would expect the warmup would potentially turn into a game of chicken with the student not ever yielding their line (and likely holding their whip way out which is a pet peeve of mine in general), but I’ve ridden in enough small h/j warmups and shared arenas with completely inconsiderate (because I doubt they are quite that clueless) fellow boarders at times that I can handle this even on a green horse, provided the horse isn’t aggressive to other horses getting close.
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Buttheads. That’s who. I can’t even imagine.
Sorry you dealt with that malarkey OP.
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Oh, that’s rich. I would have stood right next to her and loudly repeated, “EXCUSE ME, EXCUSE ME, EXCUSE ME . . .”
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Holy moly. Around me, it’s common to take turns riding through your test solo in the ring the day before. But there isn’t any priority given to one person versus another - you just get in line and get to school for 3-4 minutes in there alone. I don’t ride with a trainer, and I just get in line and chit chat until it’s my turn, no biggie. When this isn’t going on, there’s multiple people in there at all times.
OP, for sure politely mention this to show management. They likely have no clue this was going on, and will address it. I can’t believe the trainer was blocking you at A - I’m not sure what I would have done in this situation. I’ve got all kinds of passive aggressive (or aggressive-aggressive) thoughts running through my head, but in all likelihood I would also have just left. What a Class A Jerk.
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or a growled MOVE
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oh, i’d have stepped in over a rail, for sure.
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