I am guessing that the life was rough. He broke horses for a spell and suffered some physical trauma making me think he probably had traumatic arthritis. Thus...he was ultimately ‘stove up’
From Urban dictionary:
Past tense of stave - to jam smash inward
- to have pain or soreness on such a level that one is unable to get up or move from the couch/bed.
I think you have it. I looked around too to find the meaning