Since this was a schooling show, you really have to have eyes both in the front and back of your head. Maybe on the side of your head as well. Consider most showers at schooling shows to be learning. Kids are kids and they tend to get in the way easily. I’d much rather have them on the rail where I can avoid them easily. You’re lucky you didn’t get those kids that stop in front of jumps unexpectedly. I hate that. Or the chatty adults who stand in front of a jump. That’s always fun. A side note about lunging. Be courteous of the riders if you’re lunging in an arena. Preferably do it when no one is in there. My last show there was a crazy lunger whose horse fell down and completely spooked my usually calm mare.
As others have said, there are not really hard and fast rules for the warm-up ring. This is illustrated by the fact that I think you are wrong in your ring etiquette. 
I was always taught concentric circles with faster horses to the inside. So I would expect from rail to inside to look something like this:
Walk - outermost
Trot
Canter
Jump - inner most
Course, you yield to whomever doesn’t look like they will yield…or can yield as the case may be.
Head on you pass left shoulder to left shoulder.
Always ride as if everyone else is a complete beginner and out to run into you. Basically, never make assumptions about what someone is going to do…put yourself in spots where you don’t have to, if possible.
And if there are lots of ponies in the ring…just don’t go in.
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For real. I know multiple people who’ve suffered injuries in the warm-up ring. Thinking of it this way will help calm my show nerves…if I can focus on being terrified of the other riders there, the actual class won’t be scary at all! 
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I totally agree with ohmylivia and CPL713. Warmup rings terrify me. I’ve had a few incidents in warmup rings. The last incident happened when I broke my ankle. And this was dumb on my part. Someone ELSE fell off in the warmup ring. I was traveling to the right, and looking over my right shoulder to see if the rider was okay, and as I’m looking right, I’m asking my horse, apparently, to go left. Being the good boy that he is, he went left. WAY too close to the fence and I wacked my toe on the post and it broke my ankle. I’m still paying for that one! I had surgery a few years ago, and it’s not fixed. MRI in September! WEE.
Anyway, I do fear those rings and those that stop in front of jumps and cut other riders off, and take over jumps. It’s not fun. Sometimes I feel it would be easier to just go in cold.
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I would echo what others are saying in that warm-up rings anything goes and the key is to pick the path most likely to keep you out of traffic. I have spent most of my time showing green or quirky horses and it is a balancing act to get them warmed up keeping them as settled as possible and making sure to stay safe and keep others safe but I never expect green riders to watch out for me, I feel it is my responsibility to be mindful of what is going on around me and plan my route accordingly.
A recent example of this is that I have been showing a young but normally extremely quiet sensible warmblood gelding. At his first show this year he decided he was afraid of grey horses (he has lived with them in the past, and used to regularly lesson with them…) and would go leaping sideways away from any grey in the ring. I did not expect those riders to change their ride to avoid me I picked my path to ensure that we wouldn’t be in a situation where he would be leaping into any other horses if he continued to react like this and just worked at gradually getting closer when passing them.
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In general, this is exactly why I avoid the warm-up ring if I can, and warm up somewhere else if possible. People are just too inconsiderate.
Certainly, kids on ponies usually do not know the rules and/or don’t grasp the idea of the larger picture. Heck, most adults can’t understand common courtesy in the warm-up ring – I sure don’t expect kids to.
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Warm up rings are scary and dangerous places, especially at a schooling show. There are a lot of people at schooling shows who have never shown before and/or are on green horses. I don’t go to many schooling shows but when I do I avoid the warmup ring as much as possible because I have had some major close calls.
Recognized shows generally have (slightly) safer warmups as people (tend) to be more experienced and there is also supposed to be ring stewards around stopping people from doing stupid things, like lunging in unapproved areas, jumping fences in the wrong direction, etc. But you will always have those people that think they are more important and won’t follow the generally accepted rules.
I also think that as a faster moving horse you shouldn’t automatically expect the rail. I am used to seeing slower horses on the outside since most people cantering are getting ready to jump and the jumps are on the inside. The best way to stay out of the way of jumping horses is to stay to the outside.
I have been blessed at most of the places I have showed at for the last few years, they have ample warm up space and nothing gets too insanely crowded.
If there are kids in the warmup on ponies, they are going to need the right of way, even if they are in the wrong. Even an experienced pony kid is still a kid and might be distracted or make a mistake. The best thing to do is know the show schedule–if you are trying to warmup for your jumper class and the short-stirrup division is going on in the other ring at the same time, you are going to be dealing with some inexperienced riders.
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Well this last show I heeded all of your advice and everything worked much much better. I went and hacked my mare out for while and waited for the chaos to calm down in there and then I went in. This time with different expectations and I didn’t go in when there was many horses in there. It also helped that the ring was dominated by all the older riders this time. Being that the order of go is pretty flexible at these shows it didn’t matter that I waited to be almost last in. Also this time I tried a little Chill with my mare and it seemed to let her focus more (fire suit on) and not be so sensitive/hot. We actually went in, had a great warm up, pinned 1st, 6th and 4th, and that was good enough to bring home Reserve Champion for our division! Missed a clear round ribbon due to a big puddle unfortunately, and a couple of rails but over all the best show so far! It’s been 7 years since I really showed last, and I never did have a lot of “milage” on myself with my last mare, so the red ribbon (Canadian 1st) and the big Reserve ribbon, and the $20 Timmie’s card was a big deal to me even though this is just a schooling series. Next show is at home again and I think that if the warm up ring is crazy again I am just going to go hack out in the back 40 and possibly use the indoor.
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Awesome, glad this one went better!
I get far more nervous about warmup than I do about showing! I can control myself (well, at least try) whereas I have no control over what others do in a warmup ring. My strategy has been to get to the show grounds early enough in the morning to get some time in the rings before others are up and attem. This serves my somewhat crowd sensitive hunter very well and now he’s far less nervous in a chaotic warmup ring than he was a couple years ago.
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