This study aimed to describe the quantity, distribution and structure of the Santa Inês sheep flock in the Piauí state. We analyzed data of genealogical records of Santa Inês variety, maintained by the Brazilian Association of Breeders Sheep (ARCO), from 1992 to 2012. Descriptive statistical analyzes were performed in order to know how the Santa Inês herd is structured. We classified the herd according to its organizational structure, determined according to the origin and the use of the breeders, using the program ENDOG.v.4.8. The registration of animals of Santa Ines variety, in Piauí, started in 1990, and highest representation was verified in the period from 1993 to 2001. As for the structure of the herds, 56.8% were classified as multiplying livestocks (intermediate stratum of the pyramid) and 43.2% as commercial herds (base of the pyramid), and there was neither nucleus nor isolated herds. The lack of nucleus herds of Santa Inês variety in the state may be one of the causes of the reduction in the number of animals recorded in recent years in Piauí.
beef sheep; hair sheep; native breeds; organizational structure