How about it’s like Pilates for horses under saddle? Builds strength, balance, suppleness and symmetry.
My dressage guru calls it physical therapy for horses under saddle, but that doesn’t include the movements of Pilates IMHO.
I’ve described it as pairs figure skating, with athleticism, precision and partnership being key — except your partner weighs 1,000 lbs, has an anxiety disorder, and speaks an obscure foreign language.
I also had one of those “but doesn’t the horse do all the work?” conversations with a friend who skis. I suggested that was like me saying “But all you do is stand there and slide down the mountain — gravity does all the work.”
The light finally went on.
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Henceforth, going forward, THIS shall be my explanation of Dressage!
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I’ll go with Bluey to say equine gymnastics, and intense isometrics for the rider,with the rider’s ability to ski, dance or surf a plus.
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I kind of go with the gymnastics theme…although don’t expect any backflips 
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I tell people it is a systematic way to train the horse to greater responsiveness, suppleness, and by (slowly…that is me) progressing up the different levels, you mold a beautiful athlete.
Susan
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It is perfect isn’t it.
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Oh I like this one!
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We say dressage is like the “compulsory figures” required of skaters, before they can do the beautiful routines to music. In Combined Driving, good dressage shows you have control of horse/s needed for the other sections of Marathon and Cones which are often done at speed.
Everyone seems to understand when we explain dressage that way.
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I’ve used a lot of the analogies already mentioned. I explain the use of horses for clearing foot soldiers and how it evolved from a practical purpose into an art. The sport in competition is most like figure skating - and I point out how I can’t tell a triple lutz from an axel or whatever jump. For the athletic work, surfing or skiing is easiest. Everyone seems to know how much athleticism goes into surfing - No one seems to think the ocean does all the work.
If it’s a legit conversation, not just a brief encounter, when asked how riders get the horse to do things, I’ve asked someone, either standing or sitting, to turn their heads. Then I ask them to feel how their weight shifted. I note a horse can feel a fly, so through training, you teach the horse from pressure/release and reward to respond to our weight shifts. I also note how if we’re good, we don’t have to make a huge head turn, but think about “opening” the hip as if we’ll turn, and so on.
It’s fun when folks are genuinely curious and learn I’m not just enjoying horsies cause they’re pretty, but actually involved in a sport.
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I’ve always explained it like “It is like horse ballet on the outside, but it’s the focus of altering the rider’s biomechanics to influence the horse’s biomechanics and training the horse to respond accordingly. By biomechanics, I mean the horse’s movement laterally and longitudinally. For example, in asking a horse to slow down their movement, I’d engage my core and back muscles to make my weight heavier. The horse feels that restriction of movement and responds by slowing their movement”
If you think explaining dressage is hard, try explaining that your driving horse is not a race horse. 
I may borrow some variation of these to explain saddle seat.
We were doing airs above the ground yesterday. Hooked. 
It may look terrifying, but it’s just annoying.
I say that it’s martial arts for horses. Which is true. It originated as training for ancient war horses, esp the Airs Above the Ground. Piaffe and passage are parade movements. Just like with martial arts, (karate, kung fu, etc.), there are levels that get more difficult and require strong basics and strengthening, suppling, and increased balance. Olympic horses are 7th degree black belts. 
But are they training to be burglars? Can you park them in a cupboard??
ETA the reference video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFyIFgCFB2w
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I say it’s communication and cooperation between the horse and rider where the slightest of aids gives an instant response and to do this the horse and rider must be really fit and ready to go in any direction. I sometimes get a blank stare in return so I add, you know, like football drills. Oohhhh!
Horse ballet 
I say it is a cross between ballet and gymnastics.
a ballet duet.
(and when the couple is beautiful together, it brings tears to your eyes—at any level)
I like it eightpondfarm, but you have to include that it can also bring tears to one’s eyes when it’s a disaster: at least to the rider’s eyes!
