I'm not preaching but wearing steel toe hiking boots is how i broke my foot in 3 places, my leg, and tore up my ankle. After that I always wear my boots if im jumping or racing.
I used to wear half boots when my buddies and i all had pit bikes, never on a quad but they are a lot easier to shift with but obviously do not have the ankle/lower leg protection of a full boot.
It all comes down to what kind of riding you are doing. I'm gonna try moving my shifter up a cog too and see how it works thanks for the idea.